Mikadzuki
by Clyde-chan
Summary: Continuation of Captive. We’re not so different, my dear interrogator. We’re both only puppets, performing on a stage drenched in blood. But our strings will eventually be severed by those who will it, and where will be then? Summary inside. Itasaku
1. Speak

**(A/N) Well, here is the continuation of Captive. Mikadzuki means 'new moon' in Japanese. And no, I didn't name it because of the Twilight series. There's a reason behind it. If you didn't read Captive, I suggest you do, or you'll be at a complete lost.**

**Full Summary: Sakura is continuing her interrogations with Itachi Uchiha, despite her lack of interrogation skills and all she has discovered. Soon enough, she may regret this decision as events unfold to reveal the truth of everything that has happened since she met him, and before. Will she be strong enough to rise above it, or fail and succumb to the threat she fights against?**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…yet…**

**Mikadzuki**

**Speak**

"_Of those who say nothing, few are silent."-Thomas Neiel_

-0-

_'Damn sun.'_

Sakura reached to pull her pillow over her face, but instead felt the coarse cover of a book. She sat up and looked around disconcertingly, blinking the sleepiness from her eyes. Ignoring the terrible ache in her back, she twisted herself to see that she was surrounded by mounds of books. She tried to get up, but caused the books on top of her to fall to the floor with a thud.

She put two and two together and realized had fallen asleep under a pile of books on her bedroom floor. This did nothing to help the fact that she wasn't a morning person. She rubbed her head which was sore from resting atop a book titled Interrogation Methods. She looked at the analog clock on her desk to find that she woke up earlier than she planned.

She could tell this was going to be a bad day. Most people would think waking up early would foreshadow a good day, but that wasn't what it meant to her. It was a bad omen. She needed caffeine, and badly. When she was grumpy, her temper usually got the best of her. Who knows, she might even try to kill the prisoner she was to soon interrogate.

Sakura got dressed slowly, wanting to take her time. Her head, back, and places she didn't even know were capable of feeling pain ached. She went to her bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, rummaging through it in search of a painkiller. She sighed when she looked through the entire cabinet and found nothing. How could she be a medic and not have an analgesic?

_'I really need to go shopping,' _she thought as she opened her refrigerator and discovered it was empty save for expired milk and rotting tomatoes.

No medicine and no food. It's only morning and she had already managed to destroy any petty hopes she had of having a slightly tolerable day. Without any breakfast or pain relief she headed to the prison, her cantankerous mood established for good. She walked out of her house with an ominous expression glued to her features. Walking through town, she considered not even going. Why should she when she'll most likely be in pain the entire time? Remembering the beating she would receive from the Hokage if she neglected her duties, she decided not to ditch. She entered the prison system and walked down cell block six, glaring at the ANBU standing there silently. The ones that weren't cloaked in genjutsu, that is. She approached cell number five hundred and turned her fierce glare to the guard.

"R-release," the sentry said nervously, perturbed by Sakura's glower.

The genjutsu wall disappeared and he unlocked the cell. Walking in, she didn't even care about the darkness that immediately consumed her. Or the eyes she felt watching her.

"Okay, Itachi, I'm going to give you a heads up," Sakura said, rubbing her aching head. "I'm in a very bad mood. I suggest you spill your guts before I rip them out."

Of course it was an empty threat, one she wouldn't dare act on. She knew that Itachi didn't even care. He was strong enough to stop any attempt of violence towards him, other than the torture Ibiki had put him through. It just felt good to say it.

As her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the cell, she could see him looking disinterestedly at her. She sat down, closer to where he was, pushing her preset limits. Maybe it was a good thing she was so grumpy. It made her more impulsive.

"How are you this fine morning?" she asked sarcastically.

Sakura was halfway hoping for an answer like 'I didn't even know it was morning' but she knew he wouldn't answer. Itachi Uchiha wasn't much for idle conversation, so she expected the lack of response.

"I'll take that as 'good',' she said.

Sakura was slowly teaching herself not to be so irked at him. If she gets frustrated easily it clouds her mind and better judgment. It's better to keep a clear mind, especially with Itachi.

She continued to ask questions such as 'Where's the Akatsuki base?' and 'Who's your leader?' avoiding questions like 'What's your favorite color?' and 'Do you like flowers?' It was pointless to ask these questions, she knew that. It was only a diversion so she could organize her thoughts.

Last time she came she was fully prepared, only to have it fall apart because of frustration. Now that she convinced herself to control her temper at the placid Uchiha's lack of response, she could hopefully hold her plan together. All of that studying had taught her something.

In interrogations, you are studying human nature. There are things you expect someone to react to as it is natural for humans.

Itachi did not give these reactions.

The responses you'd normally expect do not come from him. That's why Sakura had been so thrown off. She expected him to react to what she said, but instead he did just the opposite. His lack of retaliation had her frustrated.

That was most likely Itachi's goal.

He knew what to do to confuse interrogators and make them question their techniques. He was avoiding natural reactions to make people question the truth behind actual human nature.

So as the saying goes, expect the unexpected.

Sakura knew what to expect from Itachi. She asked questions that would entice a reaction from anyone else. All she has to ask a question that someone wouldn't think earn a reaction.

That will confuse him.

Itachi thinks he knows what to expect. The monotonous questions that Sakura kept asking to entice a reaction were doing just the opposite.

Sakura had finally figured Itachi out.

"Are you giving up?" he asked coolly.

Sakura realized she stopped asking him her tedious questions in her concentration.

"Well, the Uchiha spoke," she said, smirking triumphantly even though she knew she had nothing to do with it.

Besides, what's _one _sentence?

"Don't act so surprised," he said.

_'Another sentence,' _Sakura thought, astonished.

"Does this mean your going to answer my questions?" she asked carefully.

This was strange. Usually when she said or asked something, he'd ignore her completely.

"No," Itachi replied, his voice cold.

"Then why even speak?" Sakura grumbled, disturbed at his tone of voice.

Itachi studied her carefully and her face flushed under his intense gaze. What was with this sudden breakthrough? She definitely didn't say anything that would make him react. She wondered if he had actually snapped, but he was way too calm for that.

So what was it?

"You've become irksome," Itachi said, his eyes meeting hers after a while. "You seem to like hearing your own voice."

"So you've decided you rather hear yours," Sakura said indignantly. "Well, at least it's something."

But Sakura knew that he wasn't telling the truth. Call it woman's intuition, but there was something not right. What was this about?

"Anything you want to tell me while you're amenable?" Sakura asked, biting her lip.

Itachi watched her again intently. What the hell was with this? Why the sudden change in behavior?

_'It looks like he's got me again,' _she thought bitterly, biting her lip. _'Just when I had him down, he decides to pull a one-eighty.'_

Sakura was determined not to let this show, so she released her lip. She wasn't going to let him get the better of her.

"I don't expect you to be too amicable or anything, but would you at least have casual human conversation?" she asked.

"So you can observe me?" Itachi asked, his eyes piercing.

_'Damn, he knows,' _she thought, her teeth itching to gnaw at her lip.

She was hoping to at least observe his reactions and such now that he finally spoke, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. So what _was _going to happen? She needed to think about this.

She stood from her seated position, and looked down at Itachi.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she said grumpily.

Itachi knew he threw Sakura off. His abrupt change of behavior had discouraged the plan she had come up with. He considered it a windfall.

He spent most of his time studying her. Her reactions, her movements, her _habits. _Now was the time to speak to her, and earn reactions that way. He was now the interrogator.

She pivoted on her heal and walked out of the cell. The sentry quickly locked the cell and looked after her, hoping she wouldn't destroy the prison. She walked back to the village, clenching her fists so she wouldn't punch any villagers who happen to be walking by. Forget self-control, she was pissed. She walked into the Hokage's office and the village's leader saw her frustration immediately.

"Nothing?" she asked knowingly.

"Well, he's actually speaking," Sakura said, pouting.

"Then why are you so frustrated?" the Hokage asked, confused.

"Because I thought I had him figured out," Sakura answered, anger coursing through her words. "For so long, he hadn't even spoken a word. And when I thought I finally came up with a reason why, he goes and opens his damn mouth."

"That was the goal in the first place," Tsunade said. "Consider it a blessing."

"A blessing?" Sakura asked disbelievingly. "Even though he's speaking, that doesn't mean he'll answer any questions."

"Then twist his arm until he does," Tsunade said smirking.

"If only it were that easy," she said with a sigh. "There's no way to figure that man out. He's so frustrating."

"Would you like a vacation?"

Sakura snorted.

"If I take a vacation, I'd still be obsessing over him," she said, not noticing how her words sounded. "I don't need a vacation, I need a palliative."

Sakura got up as she rubbed her temples and bid farewell to her shishou.

_'That girl…'_

Tsunade took a long sip of her sake as she contemplated ways to make this easier on her student. Itachi was getting the best of her; she could tell that he was getting under her skin. Maybe she shouldn't do this anymore…

"Lady Hokage!"

An ANBU appeared before her, bowing low. She would have to hold that thought.

"What is it?" she asked the masked operative.

"Four more jonin have been killed around the area of Amegakure," the ANBU said urgently. "Two other chuunins were also killed near Takigakure."

_'Just what I need,' _Tsunade thought with a sigh.

"Missing-nin?" she asked.

"We are uncertain, but that is most likely the cause."

"Thank you," she said, and the ANBU disappeared.

_'Terrific,' _the Hokage thought, rubbing her forehead. _'More missing-nin uprisings.'_

It had been going on for a while. Shinobi were being killed near the border of Konoha, in close proximity to Ame and Taki. There was no doubt in her mind that it was missing-nins. It was the quantity of the killings that were astonishing. This was no random outbreak of rouges.

Tsunade contemplated what she should do. What she wanted to do was stop sending out ninja, but that was impossibility. She just called back ANBU, and it felt wrong to send them out again after such a short amount of time, so she dismissed that idea. Instead, she was going to send out a select group of trusted ninja to investigate the situation. The other lands bordering Ame would most likely send shin obi, too, so she'll get in contact with Iwagakure and Sunagakure.

She didn't want this to get out of hand. She needed to handle this situation before it escalades.

_'As if I don't have enough to deal with…'_

-0-

Naruto stared at the picture of team seven. He and Sasuke weren't even looking at the camera, instead glaring at each other. Kakashi had his hands placed on their heads and Sakura was in the middle of them smiling cheerfully at the camera. That was when they first became team seven.

How could he let it collapse right in front of him? Why couldn't he do anything about it? Was he still the weak little troublemaker that had big dreams of being Hokage?

He had gotten stronger, he trained hard. It all came down to nothing, though, when he fought Sasuke at the Valley of the End. He couldn't stop him from leaving.

Naruto gripped the headband he was holding tightly. His fingers traced the scratch that was etched into the metal, the one he had made. It was the headband Sasuke had left behind. It was the only thing he had left of his best friend. The only reminder that he was once here in this village with him.

Only a headband, a picture, and a broken bond.

"Naruto, open up!"

Naruto was snapped out of his reverie at the sound of knocking on his door.

"I'm coming, Sakura," Naruto said, heading to his door lethargically.

"C'mon, hurry up! This is heavy!"

Naruto wondered what it was Sakura had, and ran to the door and opened it. Sakura stood there in all her glory with instant ramen cups stacked up in her arms. She ran into his apartment, and dropped all of the cups on his kitchen table.

"What's all this for?" Naruto asked.

"I went shopping because I discovered my refrigerator was a barren wasteland. I decided to get you some ramen while I was at the store," Sakura said with a smile.

He could tell, though, that it was a 'Sai Smile'. There was something bothering her.

"Thanks, Sakura," he said, looking at the mess on his table.

She noticed his lack of enthusiasm at getting a year's supply of ramen and her feign smile fell.

"I guess we should talk," she said with a sigh. "I don't want you to get depressed."

"Don't worry, Sakura, I'm fine," he said, copying that fake smile.

"Didn't I ever tell you you're a horrible liar?" Sakura said. "I know you're upset about Sasuke's execution."

She walked over to his couch and sat down and he reluctantly joined her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe because he left us and refused to come back no matter what we did," she answered.

"I know," he said, looking down. "But he was…he was my first friend!"

Sakura saw the pleading in his eyes, and bit her lip.

"He was your first, but not you're only," Sakura said. "You still have so many friends; other bonds you've created. Sasuke was just the one you couldn't save. There's nothing we could have done to protect him from what was bound to happen."

"I know you're right," he said. "It just seems like I didn't try hard enough. There must have been something more I could've done."

"You tried your best, trust me," Sakura said. "We all did. That just proves how much of a lost cause Sasuke really was. We know we tried our best, so we shouldn't have any regrets."

Naruto didn't look too convinced.

"I know this is cliché, but things always happen for a reason," she said. "There was a reason why it had to end this way, despite our best efforts."

Who was she kidding? Maybe God did this to screw with them. Maybe he wants to see them fall on their face. Who is she to say things happen for a reason? But hopefully it's the truth and she's not only lying to herself and Naruto.

Naruto nodded and said," I know, it'll just take a while for me to actually accept this."

"I understand," Sakura said, standing up. "I know I still have to deal with it, too. Maybe the ramen will help you feel better."

Naruto nodded again and she walked to the door, leaving. The air was warm after the continuous rain, giving the world a nostalgic feeling. Sakura walked to her apartment, thinking of how she'd kick off her shoes, jump in the shower, and then get to bed early. But she knew that wasn't going to happen. First of all, she needed to study. After Itachi decided to pull his little stunt, she was left for dead. Second of all, she wouldn't be able to go to sleep after talking to Naruto.

She felt ashamed of herself. At the execution she felt no sadness when they killed Sasuke. Afterwards, she didn't feel grief. She now felt that she should hold a little sorrow for her ex-teammate. They went through a lot, the three of them. She knew, though, it was only because she accepted it. Naruto was always so stubborn, but hopefully he'd finally understand that there was nothing they could do.

Sakura knew that it was the end.

-0-

"I-it's been a while, master," an impish man stated, standing nervously before the man he was regarding. "Don't you think you should do something about…you know?"

Said man looked at the small, bothersome missing-nin. He was a worthless servant; easily replaceable. The glow of the candlelight shifted as the rogue fidgeted anxiously, knowing how his his question could be interpreted. He was just curious and had to ask what his master was up to. The one regarded as master looked down dauntingly, having no concern for answering such a foolish man.

"Are you questioning me?" he asked.

"Oh! No, no," the servant said quickly, waving his hands fervently. "I was just wondering when you'd take action…"

"That is not for you to know," the other man in the room said, turning his gaze away.

The servant hesitated slightly before nodding, bowing, and then exiting. The creak of the door was deafeningly loud in the silence of the room. It was a study so it was to be completely quiet at all times. The only source of light in the room was the small candle that cast shadows on the bookcases that lined the walls. A desk was placed in the middle of the room, where the candle sat, illuminating the maps and papers on the wood. Behind the desk was the man called 'master'.

"It's awfully hard to find help these days, isn't it?"

He looked to see a man standing in the darkest corner of the room. He wasn't surprised to find the man hiding in the corner for he was always skulking in dark places. He didn't even mind that he was there, for he was never a nuisance and didn't question him like so many other disloyal subordinates. The ones that were often killed for their treachery.

"What do you want, Tasukete?" the man asked.

"I couldn't help but overhear Kinshou," the man called Tasukete replied. "Due to the fact that I was standing right here. But you probably knew that."

The seated man gave him a hard look; a signal to get to the point.

"Well, I think I could be of some service," Tasukete said, a slight smile gracing his thin lips. "It _has _been a while since you've given orders. Why don't you send me out? You know I can handle this…_problem _easily."

"If I haven't given you an order, that means I do not want you to do anything," the man stated. "When I want to send you out, I'll inform you."

Tasukete's smile turned into a frown at his master's brusque words.

"What exactly are you planning, then?" Tasukete asked carefully, trying not to let his suspicion show.

He lost so many subordinates due to his inactivity.

Tasukete was less pedantic with his master than Kinshou. He had known him for some time, and had abandoned formalities long ago. It was dangerous to step out of boundaries with a man like him, but he knew when enough was enough.

"If you heard me speaking with Kinshou, then you'd know the answer."

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"You are becoming a vexation, leave if there's nothing else," the man at the desk said, looking back down at the papers on his desk.

Tetsuke didn't want to push his master's patience too far. He'd most likely get himself killed. He exited the room as silently as he had entered and walked down the hallways, sulking. Things have been too quiet here. His _master _had been too quiet, not giving orders.

"Tasukete, I've got some interesting news for you."

A young woman with short brown hair walked up to him, a smile on her grim features. The large sword on her back glimmered in the light, enough to intimidate any enemy. She was very powerful if not somewhat insane.

"What is it, Kawaki?" he asked, not wanting to deal with the manic woman.

"Sasuke Uchiha is dead," she said coolly, smirking triumphantly.

Tasukete only snorted.

"I'm not surprised," he said disdainfully. "Was it Itachi?"

She shook her head, disappointed at his reaction. She wanted him to breakdown and go psychotic, killing all of the wretched beings there. Or at least their bastard of a master. His calm composure did not please her.

"Konoha captured him and executed him."

"Did they question him?" he asked warily.

Still no breaking down. Maybe she should lie, just to get a rise out of him. She knew better, though, because if she lied about information like this, she'd be killed.

"I don't think so," she stated, grimacing at her unusually moralistic behavior.

"Good," Tasukete said. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The sadist smirked.

"Of course not."

**(A/N) Another mystery character! Hopefully you're not pulling your hair out or anything. I hate/love writing mystery characters. I hate it because I can't tell you how many times I've typed his name and actually **_**wanted **_**to just so I can be done with it. I love it because it's fun to write something the readers have no clue about. I'll just tell you that it's going to be harder to guess than Sasuke. Maybe if you're really smart, then maaaybe you'll guess it. I'm not going to say who it isn't, because I want to keep you guessing. For now, we'll call him Mr. Mystery. Oh yeah, Tasukete means 'helper' in Japanese. He's an OC that I made.**

**Tasukete: Mommy?**

**Hehehe…not like that. Kinshou means 'insignificant'. I named him that because that's what he is. Insignificant. Cruel, I know, but that's probably the first and last time he appears. We shall have a funeral for my OC's short life in this fic. R.I.P. Last, but certainly not least, Kawaki means 'thirst' as in her thirst for blood (she's a sadist, of course).**

**Oh yeah, when Sakura was with Itachi, I was picturing her chewing on her thumbnail like L from Death Note. I was going to type it, too. Too bad her habit is biting her lip.**

**So that's it. The first chapter! I feel accomplished. I, again, hope Itachi wasn't out of character. He is speaking more, so I hope I didn't screw up. I'm very excited so I want your feedback. This time your review is for Kinshou! I'm not going to let him go to waste. You can use him as a servant. 'Fetch, Kinshou'. Ah, I'm a slave peddler. One more thing to add to my list of illegalities (along with fanfic crack peddler).**


	2. Frustration

**(A/N) Bad, Random! I didn't update as quickly as I wanted to! And this time, I can't blame it on my computer (it's now deciding to be nice to me). Instead, I can blame it on my friends who dragged me to the movies, mall, and any other place they could find. I finally escaped their grasp by locking myself inside my house. I hear them banging at my door right now. Oh, well. They can find someone else to torture.**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: C'mon! Do you know how much of a pain in the ass these are? -Lawyers close in-. Okay, okay. I do not own Naruto (but I will manipulate the characters to my liking).**

**Mikadzuki**

**Frustration**

"_Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success."-Bo Bennett_

-0-

"Are you awake?"

Sakura cracked one eye open reluctantly. The sun hit her tired eyes full-force and she wanted to crawl under her sheets. Last night she had successfully fallen asleep in her bed rather than the floor. The bed was covered with books, though, so it didn't make much of a difference. She tried to move but came in contact with said books, some of them falling to the floor. She felt a slight draft blow across her face, bringing the smell of the world outside with it.

"Are you awake?" the voice reiterated.

Sakura looked at the clock on her desk wearily. It was four thirty. How could the fool wake up this early?

"No, I'm not," she grumbled, hoping he would go away.

She turned her head back to see Naruto standing in her still unlocked window. She questioned why everyone chose to enter her apartment through the window, but only came up with Shikamaru's answer of nonconformity (and the fact that she never seemed to lock it).

"What are you doing?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"You sound tired," Naruto said, diverging from the subject. "Did I wake you up?"

Same old Naruto.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, now growing angry. You would be angry, too, if the village idiot was standing in your window at four thirty in the morning.

"To say goodbye," he said.

Sakura bolted upright at this, causing various books to tumble to the floor with a powerful velocity. Goodbye? Where was he going? Was he leaving her for another three years? _'Not if I can help it,' _she thought grimly.

"Don't worry, Sakura," Naruto said, seeing her distress. "It's only a short mission."

Sighing, she fell back down on her bed making the remaining books bounce and a few more drop to the ground. It was too early to listen to Naruto. She _was _happy that he seemed to be in a better mood. He had a small smile on his face, but it wasn't quite the same as the mischievous grin he always wore. His blue eyes were a little dark as if a veil was cast over them. But everything else stayed the same. The damned orange jumpsuit, for example. His spiky, blonde hair and the whiskers on his face. That just proved that no matter what changes, things will stay the same. Even after the execution, Naruto hadn't altered in certain ways. He was how she remembered him. Unchanged except for the sadness that was apparent in his eyes.

"If it's a short mission, why say goodbye?" Sakura asked, yawning and stretching.

Naruto thought for a moment. It was a strange sight, seeing Naruto contemplating something.

"I want to thank you," he eventually said with a small, crooked smile.

"For what?" Sakura asked, glancing over at the clock. Maybe if she goes back to sleep now she could still have an hour of rest.

"For talking to me about Sasuke."

Sakura turned her head back to Naruto. His cerulean eyes were sincere and as innocent as a small child's. The veil was still there, though.

"Yeah, but I probably didn't help," she said sadly.

Naruto had looked unconvinced when she had left him. It was sad to see her friend and teammate like that, but she tried to help him. It was up to Naruto now.

"You did," he said, his smile widening.

Sakura looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the morning sun shining through the window. His figure blocked out most of the sun, but his jumpsuit was just as bright.

"Well, I'm glad," she said, smiling sleepily but sincerely.

There was an awkward silence for neither of them knew what to say. The sound of birds' chirping came in through the opened window. They were crooning their morning songs that annoyed Sakura to no end.

"I finished the ramen you gave me," Naruto eventually stated, trying to break the silence.

Sakura's jaw practically dropped. "That was a year supply!"

"For a normal person," Naruto replied, the familiar grin lighting his face.

Yep, definitely the same old Naruto. He bid farewell after a bit of idle conversation and jumped out of her window, heading to the village gates. She closed her window after him, making sure to lock it. Looking back at the clock, the medic realized that she had a half hour to get ready. Naruto sure knows how to take up time. Hurrying, she began her morning routine in the bathroom and ended it in her small kitchen.

As Sakura ate her breakfast, she tried to develop a plan of action. Itachi had decided to have a complete change of attitude yesterday, successfully throwing her off course. Coming up with no way to deal with this dilemma after several minutes, she decided to wing it. What was the worse that could happen?

_'Shinobi are to always be prepared,' _Sakura reminded herself reproachfully. With a grin, she added_,' but I'm an interrogator.'_

As the 'interrogator' took her usual trek through Konoha, she greeted random villagers. They seemed cheerful as always, their faces warm and welcoming. She wished she could be among them, but the girl had other things to deal with. Finally reaching the prison, she prepared to enter the dank and depressing place that was so unlike the bright and cheerful village.

Following her rut grudgingly, she walked to the cell, ignoring the ANBU as she passed them. The sentry was thankful when he saw the change in her demeanor. Sakura was rather placid, despite the impending 'interrogation'. She sighed as she entered the familiar (yet still miserable) cell and sat on the dirty floor, reminding herself to bring a chair next time.

"How are you, Itachi?" she asked with a feigned cheerful voice. "And I wouldn't mind a sarcastic answer."

Of course he didn't respond. Why would he, when it was for her benefit? She half-heartedly wished he was one of those criminals that would fess up right when you walk into their cell. She noticed he already had the manacles off, red marks covering his pale skin. She looked at the wrists with a pang of pity for the Uchiha.

Itachi watched her stare at his wrists impassively. Glancing up from his marred wrists, the young woman noticed something different in his eyes. Even though he kept his emotions hidden, you can see anyone's soul in their eyes. She couldn't read Itachi's eyes well (probably due to the fact he had no soul) but she saw a strange flicker in them. Sakura couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something in those seemingly endless pits of black that made her cautious.

"Do you plan on doing this forever?" Itachi asked as she sat silently, trying to figure out what this change was.

"No, because I won't live forever," Sakura retorted triumphantly, looking away from his eyes. "But I _will _do this for as long as it takes."

Itachi looked slightly amused.

"Well you seem so high and mighty today," Sakura said, irritated at his quizzical gaze. "What's to say you won't crack soon?"

Great, she was pissed off already. _'Just calm down, Sakura,' _she told herself.

"The fact that my interrogater is a pink-haired abecedarian," Itachi replied silkily.

"Yeah, a pink-haired abecedarian who's gotten you to talk," Sakura said, grinning as her anger melted away and was replaced by triumph.

"You're rather audacious," Itachi said, clearly implying that he was speaking on his own accord.

"Okay, so maybe I _didn't _get you to talk," she said, crossing her arms. "But you're speaking, aren't you? That's all that matters."

Itachi held that amused look.

"And since you're speaking, I'm going to ask you a few questions," she stated, a plan forming in her head. "In truth, how loyal are the Akatsuki to each other?"

_'That's a good thing to ask,' _she thought, mentally patting herself on the back. _'But still, he's never answered a question like that before.'_

"They have their own reasons," Itachi stated, shocking the medic.

"See, you _are _answering my questions!" Sakura said, once again grinning victoriously. Ha, she had bested him!

"Its irrelevant information," Itachi said coldly, causing her happiness to crash and burn.

Grumbling under her breath, the so-called 'interrogator' leaned against the cold wall next to Itachi, still within close proximity of him. Looking around, she began to feel a little sorry for the killer. There were only four walls in this chamber. That's it. He sat in the middle of those four walls, in that chair that did nothing to bind him. It must be unbearable, having to be in here all the time.

But he chose to stay. It's his fault that he's still here even though there's no reason to remain in this Hell. Whatever game he's playing, she's going to find out what it is. And when she does, she's gong to beat him.

"Okay, another question," she said, glaring hard at the man, trying to discern what was going on in his head. Her efforts were futile. "Why do the Akatsuki wear cloaks with red clouds? And rings. And those hats."

Sakura was half-hoping for a remark like 'to make a fashion statement' but knew no such thing would come from Itachi. She was at least hoping he'd say it's a uniform. These were small questions, and this one was just as irrelevant as the last. So then why was he not answering?

She then noticed he was watching her intently. It unnerved her as his eyes bored into hers. His gaze wasn't threatening or intimidating; what unnerved her was the fact that there was no malice in his expression. Why did he keep watching her as if she was under a microscope?

Sakura thought of just giving up. Even though Itachi is speaking, she knows that he wouldn't dare answer any questions involving the Akatsuki (or anything relevant, for that matter). He knew when he should speak and when he should keep things to himself. And he was right; she was just an abecedarian.

"Okay, scratch that," she said.

She deliberated what to do next. The only thing she was could do now was sit there. She was not going to leave in a bout of frustration. So she opted on sitting before her subject, hoping he might get frustrated. It was idle hope, though. The medic watched as he looked down at her disinterestedly. His face betrayed nothing, as usual. Soon enough, she felt comfortable enough to look into those eyes of his with her own piercing gaze. Maybe she could frighten the Uchiha. Said man looked at her indifferently. Okay, scratch _that _plan. She pouted as she contemplated what to do next.

"You are so frustrating…" Sakura murmured with contempt.

"As are you," Itachi replied coolly.

That ticked her off, but she bit her lip. "Do you want to know why you're frustrating?" Sakura challenged.

"Enlighten me," Itachi stated.

"Why the hell are you talking?" Sakura nearly shouted. "Not that I don't like it, it's just that people don't change overnight!"

Sakura bit her tongue and lowered her head. She said she wouldn't get peeved, but this was crazy. What was with Itachi?

"Do you want to know why _you're _frustrating?" Itachi asked.

Sakura lifted her head. "Because I talk too much, right?" She remembered the last time he had told her that and the events that had occurred before those words came from his mouth. She tried not to blush.

"No," Itachi replied, surprising Sakura once more. "It's because I can't seem to figure you out."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you mean by 'figure out'?"

Itachi didn't reply.

_'Well, what do you know,' _she thought. _'He's done it _again_.' _

Now she was left questioning what he meant by 'figure out'. Maybe that was why he was staring at her so intently; maybe he was trying to figure her out.

"You're good," Sakura stated.

By now, she was only stalling. She was just going to sit there, seeing if Itachi would crack any time soon. They didn't have anything to say so they both sat in silence.

_'This is supposed to be an interrogation,' _Sakura thought wryly. _'It's more like a silent game.'_

At least now she won't get frustrated. Actually, the silence was just as frustrating as Itachi. She remembered how much silence bugged her, and how it often was between her and Itachi. She realized that most of the time when she was trapped in a purgatory, it was with Itachi. Her indecision was often because of him. She cursed herself for allowing him to have so much control over her. He wasn't even _speaking _and she still felt frustrated.

She guessed Itachi just had that effect on people.

Now completely frustrated to the point of exhaustion she stood, dusting the back of her pants off.

"I'm finished for now," she said, avoiding Itachi's eyes.

He could sense the waves of anger rolling off her and smirked. She was too easy…

-0-

The man regarded as 'master' knew of his subordinates' disloyalty. He expected it, as a matter of fact. Due to his inactivity, they had gotten raucous. The urge to kill has overcome them, causing them to go on rampages. As much as it irked him, there wasn't much he could do. They were impatient and primitive; a bad combination.

He _had _given orders, though. He had told no one of his plan _or _that his orders were already being carried out. He chose not to tell his subordinates only because they would doubt his decision. Those bunch were the most disloyal you would ever meet. Of course, what more could you expect from missing-nin who had abandoned their villages.

The man sat in his dark office, looking at the fire emanating from the candle. The orange flame illuminated the desk that he often sat at. It was covered with papers as usual, most of them pedantic and (in his opinion) pointless. His sanctuary had become his worst nightmare. It became suffocating, as if the walls were enclosing around him. He stood up, pushing his chair out. He needed to think and what better place than outside in the wide space.

-0-

The air was humid and dry, signaling the end of the rainy season. The sky was darkening, twilight setting in. Sakura walked amongst the identical stones jutting out from the ground. They were all decrepit and forlorn, the grief and pain hanging in the uncomfortable air. When she finally found the one she wanted, she stopped in front of it. In her hand she gripped a flower with white petals. The flower that represents dying hope and anticipation. An anemone. All of the other flowers were wilting by now but ironically, the anemone survived. She knelt down and placed the flower before the stone. She ran her fingers across the inscribed words on the slab of granite.

_Ibiki Morino_

It was a fresh grave, the depressions indented in it smooth to the touch. She could read the inscription clearly with the date and epitaph undamaged. Kneeling before the headstone, she contemplated what to do next. The 'interrogator' had come here on a whim, despite her better judgment. She felt some unknown force pulling her to this dismal place, as if wanting her to see something. Or rather, _say _something. She stood abruptly, brushing herself off. Biting her lip, she thought if what she was about to do was normal.

"Um…Ibiki, it's…been a while," she said awkwardly. She never spoke to a dead person before. She didn't know whether to look down at the ground where his body lay or at the sky to Heaven. Or maybe she should look down because he might be in Hell. Shaking her head, she sighed and continued with all the determination she could muster. "It's your fault my life is pretty screwed up. What with having to take over your job because people seem to think I'm your 'legacy'. I think I'm getting better at this interrogation stuff, though. I've been studying my ass off and I've been improving. With any other criminal, it would have helped. But with Itachi…well, he's a different story. Which is basically why I'm here (or so I think).

None of the books apply to him. None of them can help me entice a reaction from the bastard. So I finally thought I had him figured out after all this time and he decides to go schizophrenic. Not that his silence wasn't frustrating, it's just…he seems to know what to do to piss me off. I guess I'm just easy to read."

Sakura bit her lip and sighed once more.

"I don't know how to deal with him. He's on a completely other level than most petty criminals. But then again, he _is _Itachi Uchiha. What could you expect from a guy like him? It's just…no one takes a vow of silence and then decides to be talkative right out of the blue. The way it happened was…unnatural. I just can't shake the feeling that his bipolarity is something more than wanting idle conversation. He's most likely trying to get me frustrated because he's a sadist, but there's other ways to frustrate me other than to start speaking. I guess its okay that he's more conversational, but it's…strange. Argh, damn him!"

Sakura gripped her hair, about to rip it out. But then she realized she had just spilled her feelings out to a corpse. Ibiki was probably rolling over in his grave.

_'I guess I just needed someone to listen and…not respond,' _she thought wryly.

"No matter what you say, I don't think he's going to talk back."

Sakura bristled at the voice. It was like stepping through a time warp, hearing it.

"I know, Kakashi," she said, abandoning her suffix. "I just need to let it out on someone who won't judge."

She turned to face the man who held a book in his hand. Just like Naruto, he hadn't changed a bit. The mask still covered half of his face and the headband covered his scarred eye.

Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow quizzically. "If you want to talk to someone who won't judge, there are one hundred other corpses in this cemetery."

Sakura cracked a small smile. "So what are you doing here? Got lost on the path of life?"

"Perhaps," he said nonchalantly. "I'msupposed to meet with the Hokage."

She looked at him inquiringly. "What for?"

Kakashi gazed at her for a moment, his eyes contemplative. Then he turned his wrist in front of him like he was looking at a wristwatch.

"Well, would you look at the time," he stated. "I'd better be going."

The man then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura found two things wrong with that scene. Number one, Kakashi didn't have a watch. And number two, since when was he concerned about the time? The man had been tardy for as long as she could remember, and then he suddenly decides to be time conscious.

_'Why is everyone changing their personality all of a sudden?' _Sakura wondered, chagrined. _'Are they _trying _to annoy the hell out of me? If they are its working.'_

She peered down at the grave and sighed, disheartened. "You're lucky you don't have to worry about time."

-0-

Kakashi walked down the hall with one hand in his pocket and the other holding an Icha Icha book. He turned a page, successfully avoiding Shikamaru who had a pile of paperwork in his hands. On the outside, he seemed unconcerned (as usual) as he avoided collisions with people and inanimate objects. But inside, his thoughts were in a tumult. Wondering why the Hokage decided to summon him, he continued to walk while reading. He hadn't spoken to the woman in a while; and to tell the truth, he didn't want to. She _was _a raging alcoholic.

Kakashi took his hand out of his pocket and opened the door to Tsunade's office. He didn't take his eye off the book as he entered and leaned against the wall furthest away from the Hokage's desk. The jonin didn't even bothering to look around. He sensed other people in the room and they watched him disconcertingly as he turned another page. He was at the climax of the story; he couldn't just put it down.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "I see everyone is here." Kakashi felt her accusing gaze on him. "I know you're all wondering why you've gathered. I have a mission for you. One of great importance."

There were murmurs throughout the group. Kakashi sensed about seven others in the office, which means that they will be a platoon.

"This is an S-ranked mission."

_This _caused Kakashi's eye to look over the book. He glanced around at the group, noticing that they were all jonin. Jonin on an S-ranked mission? The woman was mad.

After the bemused murmurs silenced, Tsunade continued. "I know it's a high level mission, but I trust you all. I've selected the eight of you because you are all very skilled."

Kakashi was never one to be condescending, but these jonin looked as if they had just stepped out of the academy. But looks are deceiving, he reminded himself. Such as the pink-haired woman he spoke to only minutes earlier.

"This is your mission," Tsunade said, handing a manila folder to the jonin standing near her desk.

The group passed it around, their eyes slightly narrowing as they read the sheet of paper inside. When it finally reached Kakashi, he reluctantly slid his book into the pouch on his waist and read the paper. He didn't tense up like the others, remaining blasé. He shook his head after reading the mission statement. It looks like he was right; the woman _was_ mad.

"Isn't this something for ANBU to handle?" one particularly scrawny jonin asked.

Tsunade sighed as if she was expecting the question. "Yes, but they've just returned from being abroad. Besides, you're all well on your way to becoming ANBU." The woman's eyes connected with Kakashi's for a moment. "Your leader will be Kakashi."

The jonins' gazes shifted over to him. Some observed him with respect and others disdain.

_'It doesn't matter how you regard me,' _he thought, but didn't say aloud. _'I'm still your leader.'_

"You'll leave in an hour," the Hokage informed.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, pulling out his book once more.

"Such late notice," Kakashi said, speaking for the first time.

"It's urgent," the woman simply explained.

The others nodded and left the room to get prepared. Only Kakashi remained. He flipped to the next page as Tsunade waited for him to say something. When she knew he wouldn't speak, she did instead.

"Don't be late, Kakashi," Tsunade stated with a sigh, taking a swig of her drink.

He knew he wouldn't be too late. The mission sounded…strange.

_'Missing-nin uprisings, eh,' _he thought, finally leaving.

Kakashi walked to his apartment slowly, entranced in his novel. He entered his residence and packed all of his necessities without looking up from his page. The only time he did was to look at the pictures near his bed. They were of both his teams; the teams he failed to protect. He lowered his gaze once more, not wanting to linger on the subject. He took his good old time, stopping at the memorial stone. When he reached the gates of Konoha, he saw the jonins waiting impatiently. He was tempted to vex them even more, but decided against it.

"Oh, there you are!" one jonin called, clearly disdained.

He waved his hand mildly, his eye focused on his book. His platoon shook their heads, believing that there was something truly wrong with the man. Perhaps they were right.

"What's the plan, sir?" another jonin asked as he walked over to the group.

They all watched him intently, leaning in close. Kakashi only cocked his head.

"Why, fight, of course."

-0-

**(A/N) Wise words from Kakashi. I wonder about him… And that mystery character. I gave him a short part in this, just to have you bite your fingernails off and bang your head against the wall in frustration. I rather enjoy it. Anyway, as always, I'm paranoid (and you all probably know why) so I need your reviews for comfort. I use them as a security blanket (I mean it. I'm knitting a quilt with them). Anyway, review for an anemone (the flower that represents 'forsaken'). **

**Itachi: Do you really want to give such a flower to your reviewers?**

**Naruto: Yeah, it seems like you're sending them a signal with that kind of flower.**

**Rock Lee: It's very depressing. Such a flower does not belong in the garden of youth.**

**Why must the cast of Naruto interject something into whatever I say? Would you rather have a rose? The stereotypical flower of love? I think not (unless you like it).**

**Kakashi: Why don't you give them pine? It represents hope.**

**Okay then. Reviewers get a pine tree (or a pine needle or a pine cone, or whatever). Are you all happy?**

**Naruto cast: -nods-**


	3. Impulse

**(A/N) Holy crap! I've completely lost track of time! Kuso! But I'll tell you, I've been hell-bent on completing this chapter! The reason I have updated as soon as I would have liked was because my friends broke down my door and dragged me to Horton Hears a Who (which was an okay movie, but not great). Anyway, on Thursday my friend decided to come over and break my closet. On Friday, I desperately tried to type up the chapter, but I had to run errands. On Saturday, I got my hair cut and now I look like Rukia from Bleach. I also went to my uncle's house because it was his birthday (my family is hilarious, especially my uncle). Sunday is when I was dragged to Horton Hears a Who. Now I'm repairing my door and trying to type. **

**So, please don't kill me if I don't update the next chapter quickly. Life is full of surprises (good and bad). And shit happens (a lot). So I will overcome my ADHD, procrastination, and addiction to manga and work hard! For now, enjoy this somewhat short chapter!**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**Mikadzuki**

**Impulse**

"_To deny our own impulses, is to deny the very thing that makes us human."-Matt Doran_

-0-

"How can you _wear _that thing?" Naruto asked, his voice raspy from lack of hydration.

He was laying face-down in the sand (which wasn't helping him much) inhaling particles of the crushed rocks. Kankuro looked down at the boy and smirked, shaking his head. Naruto had stripped down to his boxers in the heat of the desert and his skin was turning pink. The sun beat down on his bare back so he rolled over, shielding his eyes from the light.

"I wear it so I won't get sunburn," Kankuro replied. His black outfit was hot as Hell but at least it served as protection from the sun.

The puppet master nudged Naruto who was now turning a bright red. With a groan, the blonde haired boy sat up. 

"I hate the desert," he muttered through a mouthful of sand.

He slowly got up, brushing sand off of his body. The grains were sticking to him because of the perspiration pouring down his body. He groaned, giving up on this task, and tied his pants around his head for a hat. Kankuro sighed as he watched the fool.

The two ninja were traveling through the deserts of the Land of Wind, heading to Sunagakure. Naruto was going to speak to the Kazekage about the missing-nin uprisings near Takigakure and Amegakure (though they were only concerned with Ame because it bordered them). Naruto informed the Suna-nin that he had taken on this mission to get his mind off Sasuke's execution. 

_'Now that I think about it, he does seem a little down,' _Kankuro noted, looking at the blonde who was suffering from exposure.

"Oh, I see it!" the aforementioned blonde called.

Kankuro squinted, looking in the same direction as Naruto. A large shadow appeared in front of them, looming above the sand like a giant. The heat rising from the ground made it appear as if it was flickering in the sunlight. Naruto picked up his pace and ran to the form, hoping to find an icebox.

"Naruto!" Kankuro used a stern tone as if he was speaking to a child (or in his case, a nineteen-year-old with the mentality of a child). "It's a mirage, fool. Suna is the other way." The man pointed in the other direction.

Naruto balked and kicked up sand, muttering under his breath. Kankuro didn't wait for him to regain his equanimity and headed in the direction of the _real _Suna. Naruto followed close behind, adjusting his makeshift hat. He groused about the heat, dragging his red legs. After trekking through sand for another half-hour, they finally reached their destination. This time, it _was _Suna and Kankuro couldn't be happier. If he had to listen to his companion for another second, he might just kill himself.

"It looks like a sand castle," said companion stated, shielding his eyes as he looked.

"What did you expect, an igloo?" Kankuro snapped.

They walked through the gates of Suna, Naruto close to collapsing. After going through customs (which went over smoothly, thanks to Kankuro), they walked into the village. The community was not unlike Konoha, with people bustling around and markets on the street. The only things different were the clothing styles and buildings. 

Said boy still refused to put his clothes on and the villagers sent him amused looks as mothers shielded their children's eyes. Kankuro could only shake his head as they walked to the Kazekage's office. After many looks from the villagers, they reached the edifice. Naruto ran into the structure, hoping for relief from the heat.

"You're late."

Naruto looked up tiredly to see an irked Temari leaning against the wall. She had the giant fan that scared the Hell out of Naruto on her back. The woman looked ready and willing to use it, too, seeing the look on her face. 

Kankuro shrugged mildly, walking up behind him. "Sorry."

Temari eyed Naruto. "I'm surprised you didn't get arrested for indecent exposure, Uzumaki." 

Said man grinned and scratched the back of his head. '_So much for a 'hi',' _he thought.

"Give me a minute to rest," Naruto said, plopping down in a seat.

He looked around at the new environment while fanning himself. The building was like the one in Konoha, with only slight differences (such as the sweltering sun that was beating through the windows). Naruto was beginning to feel homesick, looking around at the unfamiliar (and blisteringly hot) surroundings.

"I'll take you to Gaara," Temari said, pushing off from the wall. She wasn't going to wait for the mad stripper to cool off.

They walked down halls as bystanders looked at Naruto with amusement and disdain. Kankuro was thankful he stopped at his boxers. If he shed any more clothing, he'd surely be arrested. 

They arrived at the Kazekage's office and Temari knocked loudly. She had been waiting for an hour, and she wasn't in the best of moods. When she didn't get a response, she entered anyway. Gaara was sitting at the desk, writing on a piece of paper. The similarities between his office and the Hokage's were uncanny. 

_'Suna's like a parallel universe,' _Naruto thought, unnerved. 

Gaara looked up as the three of them entered. 

"I wasn't expecting you, Naruto," he said.

Not much had changed about him over the years. He had the _same _red hair and the _same _rings around his eyes. He was dressed in the _same _Kazekage garb and had the _same _kanji was on his forehead. Naruto was hoping for some drastic change. But just like his siblings, everything was the _same_.

"Granny told me to come," Naruto said, wrapping his shirt around his head.

Gaara looked him over and inwardly sighed. The boy was just too strange. "Why did she send you?"

Naruto took his shirt off his head and rifled through the pockets. With a triumphant 'aha', he pulled out a crinkled piece of paper. He unfolded it and squinted as he read the words scribbled on the piece of parchment.

"It says that there've been missing-nin uprisings near Ami and Taki," Naruto read. "She wants to know if you have the same problem." He handed it over to the Kazekage and the man read it silently. After a while, he looked up from the paper.

"We have," the Kazekage said, replying to Naruto's previous question. "Many of our shinobi have been killed near Amegakure. We've been suspecting missing-nin."

Naruto nodded, tapping his finger to his chin in an attempt to look intellectual. He didn't know much of it, but he knew that the ninja Tsunade was sending out were getting mysteriously killed. True, they've been having problems with missing-nin for a while, but Tsunade seemed really concerned about these uprisings.

_'She must be worried if she sent me to Suna,' _Naruto thought, nodding affirmatively. "What are you going to do?"

"Increase border control," Gaara stated. "We'll have to send out our best ninja to handle the situation. The Hokage should do the same."

"She already sent out a platoon," Naruto said. "I think Kakashi-sensei was in it." 

"Is that all?" Gaara asked, wanting to finish his paperwork. He was on the last paper and he wanted to get it done so he can be finished for the day.

"Nope," Naruto replied and the Kazekage mentally twitched. Once again, he searched though his pockets. This time, however, he pulled out a scroll. He handed it to the other man and informed," Granny said it was important. She didn't tell me what it is, though."

Gaara nodded and placed the scroll on his desk. He would read it when he was alone. "Is that all?" he reiterated.

Naruto nodded.

"Then you may leave," the Kazekage said curtly, returning to his paperwork.

Naruto knew that he wasn't trying to be rude. Gaara was just antisocial. He bowed and left the room with Kankuro and Temari.

Gaara was left deep in thought, contemplating what moves he should make. He was well aware of this problem, and it was making him anxious. Many questions haunted his mind. Why were all of these missing-nin showing up out of the woodwork? Why are they killing ninja from neighboring countries? How can they deal with this problem effectively?

Ah, the joys of being Kazekage.

-0-

Kakashi and his platoon jumped through the trees at an unimaginable pace. They were spread out, putting meters of distance between them. They were nearing the border of Takigakure quickly. So far they hadn't encountered any missing-nin, and they were on guard as they neared the boundary of the two lands. All was silent as they dashed through the wood; even birds were hushed.

_'It's too quiet,' _Kakashi thought.

It was as if the animals in the forest knew something was about to happen. Perhaps even the earth, for there was no wind and no trees rustled. He hadn't even seen a squirrel as they ran and he was beginning to suspect something.

"Sir," a voice said over the wireless.

"Hmm?" Kakashi asked.

"Something feels…wrong," the jonin replied hesitantly.

So the others knew something was up, too. "I know."

"What should we do?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. If there is a reason behind this silence, then there was nothing they could do. If missing-nin were to attack, they were just sitting ducks. There's nothing you can do to prevent an ambush.

"Don't do anything," Kakashi eventually answered.

He put his book away and his hands felt empty without it, but he wasn't going to read in a situation like this. Missing-nin can attack at any time and he couldn't risk being caught off-guard.

They were steadily coming closer to the border of Taki. They will arrive in less than a half-hour. When they arrive, they will ask the leaders if they have seen anything suspicious around their borders. If everything was clear, they'll head back. Simple and easy.

Or so they thought.

Kakashi heard the whizzing of kunai before he saw them. As they headed straight for him with alarming accuracy, he quickly dodged them by jumping onto another branch. The kunai embedded themselves into the branch he was previously on with a powerful force.

"We've got trouble," he said into the wireless.

More kunai came towards him and he dodged them again, hopping from branch to branch. What he didn't know was that the branch he was currently standing on had an explosive tag attached on its underside. When it exploded, he lost his balance in his state of shock and began his descent to the ground. He caught himself, though, and grabbed onto another branch. Checking to see if there were any explosive tags attached, he climbed onto it. He took out his own kunai and lowered into a fighting stance, preparing to fend off the next attack. He scanned the area, but all was silent.

"Everyone, report," Kakashi said into the wireless.

There was no reply from the others. He waited for another moment but no voices came over the wireless.

"You shouldn't let your guard down so easily."

Kakashi jolted at the voice. He looked around again but saw nothing. Another round of kunai came at him, this time with exploding tags. He evaded them, careful to check his surroundings. His enemy had an advantage, being hidden. Kakashi had to find a way to get on the offensive. But before that, he had to find his assailant.

"Looking for me?" a voice asked next to his ear.

Kakashi's eye widened. 

_'How…?'_

He wasn't able to detect the presence of his attacker. There was no chakra signature or anything that would give away his opponent's location. With his heightened senses, he should have heard, seen, or smelled him but nothing pointed out the position of the attacker.

"You're wondering why you can't sense me," the same voice said with a bit of a chuckle. He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. "It's a secret. But I'll tell you if you beat me."

Kakashi used his god-like speed to avoid the man's katana. After the quick attack, it was silent once more. The copy-nin was strung tight, anticipation churning in his gut. This was very bad. He couldn't sense his attacker at all. There was no way he could fight him. 

He felt an acute pain in his abdomen as metal pierced his flesh.

"You didn't guard your flank," the missing-nin said in a scolding manner. "A ninja should know better."

_'It wasn't because I didn't guard my flank,' _Kakashi thought as the katana was pulled out of his abdomen. _'I can't sense where he is and I don't know when he's going to attack.'_

His vision was beginning to blur due to his stomach injury. He looked to where he assailant should be but nothing was there. He lifted up his headband to reveal the Sharingan.

"Oh, impressive," the voice said. "But I'm afraid that won't help."

Kakashi soon found that what the man said was true. He couldn't see anything; there were no chakra signatures in sight. He winced as he felt the searing pain in his lower torso and clutched it, blood pouring over his fingers. As his hand gripped his stomach a katana pierced his chest.

"This is too easy," the missing-nin said, disappointed.

Kakashi couldn't even gasp as he fell forward, hurtling to the ground. He hit the earth hard, feeling and hearing the crunch as his bones broke. He found he was unable to move as he struggled to stand. His invisible spoke again. 

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said, using that scolding tone. "You shouldn't try to struggle. You'll only die faster."

Two people suddenly appeared, standing on a tree several meters from Kakashi's assailant. One of them was wearing a green jinbei and had a headband with the insignia for Iwa. There was a scratch running through the symbol. He was slight and gaunt, with a manic look in his eye. The other was wearing similar clothing, but he was larger and seemed calmer. He was also from Iwa. 

Both had blood on their skin and clothing.

"That was too easy," the small one whined, repeating what Kakashi's attacker had stated. "Those shinobi from Konoha are a joke."

The larger man snorted. "These villages underestimate us. Fools."

"Now, now, let's not get all hot and bothered," the invisible missing-nin said. "Surely the other villages must be sending their ninja out soon."

The small man chuckled. "I'm looking forward to that."

Kakashi faded into unconsciousness as he listened to the nuke-nins' conversation. As he slipped away, he saw the invisible one reveal himself. He wore an arrogant smirk, clearly enjoying watching him die. The man's headband had the symbol for Iwa, of course. Kakashi barely caught his last words.

"Me too…"

-0-

Sakura was finished.

Last night when she had gone to bed, she turned everything over in her mind while looking at the pictures of her friends and family. She came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it to continue interrogating Itachi. She was clearly not getting anywhere with him, so why should she persist? Someone else would take over. She could deal with the petty criminals that were brought in. She could request for someone else to take over her position as head of torture and interrogation

But as she neared unconsciousness, she knew it was impossible no matter how much she wanted to. After everything that had happened, there was no way she could turn away from this. She reminded herself that she wasn't doing this for herself. She was doing this for her village. Now that Ibiki was gone, there was no one else who could take over. And as Naruto always said, never give up.

Now it was a new day and she awoke with hope. Itachi was not going to play her for a fool. Not today. That is why she decided to get an early jump-start on the day. She took a shower, thankful for the warm water that hit her body. She frowned, thinking of how pointless this was since she was going to be in a dirty cell. After washing herself in futility, she got dressed and had breakfast. She realized how much of a rut her life was becoming and frowned again. Her mother always said that her face would freeze that way. Thinking about her mother only caused her to frown more and she pushed those thoughts aside. Sighing, she decided she should leave, although it was still pretty early. 

Walking down the street she could smell a familiar scent wafting through the air. She looked over her shoulder and saw that she was close to She the Yamanaka Flower Shop. 

_'What the heck,' _she thought and entered the shop.

The scent was even stronger inside. The remainder of the delicate flowers stood sadly, clinging to the remnants of their life. They crowded the space causing a gentle fragrance to drift through the room. The monotonous chatter of villagers outside could be heard as someone entered the shop.

"Sakura!" Ino called excitedly upon seeing the girl.

"No nickname, I see," said girl teased.

Ino captured her in a firm hug. Sakura could barely breathe as her friend squeezed her to death. Eventually she let go, only to slap her. She was caught off-guard and stumbled a bit. Ino had sure gotten stronger. She looked up at the blonde to see tears forming in her eyes.

"Do you know how worried I've been!" she shouted as customers turned to look at them.

"Wha-" Sakura started to ask but Ino gripped her shoulders fiercely, digging her long nails into her flesh.

"Why haven't you come and see me?" Ino asked, tears streaming down her red cheeks. "I was worried when I heard you disappeared. And then when you came back, Sasuke was executed! Why haven't you come to me?"

Sakura looked down ashamedly. Ino was right and it made her feel horrible. She has been so selfish. She hadn't come to see her best friend to tell her all that has happened. She didn't even think about it.

"Ino, I'm sorry," she said quietly, rubbing at her smarting cheek. "I've just been so busy…"

"Don't give me those damn excuses!" Ino hollered. "And what about the others? Tenten, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji have all been worried about you, too!"

"I talked to Shikamaru the other day," she said lamely.

This only caused Ino to become more angry. "Sakura, I know interrogating Itachi is important but so are your friends!"

She lowered her eyes and dropped her hand from her cheek. "That's what I sacrificed when I began interrogating Itachi."

"What do you mean by sacrificed?" Ino asked, desperately clinging to Sakura's shoulders and shaking them. "You don't have to sacrifice anything!"

"Don't you understand!" she cried, struggling in her grasp. "I don't have time for that anymore! Not only am I interrogating Itachi but I'm replacing Ibiki!"

_'Damn!' _Sakura thought as tears filled her eyes. _'She's probably more frustrating than Itachi.'_

Ino's eyes darkened as she said," Fine. I'm not going to interfere."

She dropped her hands, turned away, and walked into the back of the shop leaving Sakura there with salty tears flowing down her face.

_'This is what I gave up by interrogating Itachi,' _she thought sadly. _'I didn't realize it before, but I sacrificed my friends.'_

She left the shop, wiping the tears from her face. Walking to the cell, Sakura contemplated her sacrifice. She was giving up her life to interrogate Itachi. She was abandoning the ones she loved.

_'Why am I always caught in-between like this?' _she thought, tears threatening to fall once more. _'I'm always trapped. All of these dilemmas I face. Why can't I overcome them?'_

When the sentry saw Sakura, his face was ashen.

"Ma'am, your face…it's all red! What happened!" he asked.

She smiled sadly. "A concerned friend."

She left the confused guard and walked into the cell. Itachi was asleep, his chest rising and falling gently. She would have laughed if she had not been slapped across the face only minutes before and if the slumbering man before her had not been a missing-nin who killed his family. She knew she was a little early so it was logical he was still asleep. It was strange, seeing him slumber. Even unconscious, his presence was threatening. She approached slowly him and saw that the manacles were not around his wrists. His unbound hair fell into his face like a curtain, veiling most of his face. 

_'You are the cause of all my pain,' _she thought. 

She despised this man. Now not only because he was a missing-nin and he killed his family, but because he was the cause of her dilemmas. Time after time, he frustrated her to the point of exhaustion. And yet, here she was, preparing to sit down and try to understand him. 

Reaching out unconsciously, Sakura brushed a few strands of hair from in front of his face and tucked them behind his ear. Her hand lightly brushed against his cheek, feeling his pale skin.

She froze. 

_'Why did I do that?' _

It was a sudden urge and she was a fool to follow through with it. He looked so peaceful and serene, it tempted her. She withdrew her hand, but it was caught by another. Sakura looked down into onyx orbs.

Itachi was awake.

-0-

**(A/N) Muahahaha! Cliffie with both Sakura and Kakashi! Anyway, I enjoyed writing about Ino bitchslapping Sakura. I mean, c'mon, it's bound to happen in the series. On another note, I've been trying to type up other chapters as well. Anything to keep my updates as quick as possible. Of course, it's all determined on your feedback. This time it's for sunscreen. Well, it's cold where I am, but maybe you can find it useful.**

**Naruto: I want it!**

**Then review!**


	4. Vacation

**(A/N) -Sniff- Dear readers, please don't kill me when I'm already sick. It seems the world is working against me in writing this story. I know it's been a while, and I left you with an evil cliffhanger, but I couldn't update. I made many an attempt to crawl to my computer, but failed miserably. I apologize for the possibility that this chapter is suckish; my mind is in a fog and my eyes are watering because of my allergies. This chapter is short (longer than I thought it would be), but my hands feel like they're about to fall off my wrists. I know, I know, me and my excuses, but I'm about to collapse. I can't think straight, so I might be blabbering on; I can't tell. I also have a lot of crap going on in my life to add to this stupid cold. Achoo. Now to get some medicine from Tessai…**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**_

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto. My plan for world dominance hasn't gone that far…**

**Mikadzuki**

**Vacation**

'_To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change.'-Charles Horten Cooley_

-0-

Itachi gripped Sakura's hand with bruising force as a feeling of dread spread inside of her. She winced as her hand was squeezed in the vise. She could tell it took him very little effort by the passive look on his face. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' _she chanted in her head, chastising herself. _'I'm so _stupid_!' _

"You should know better," Itachi said smoothly, pulling her closer. "I might just kill you by mistake."

His words made her wince because of the unpleasant truth they held. _'Idiot!' _she thought, just to censure herself more.

He was dangerously close; she could feel his steady breath on her face. Trying to look away from those damnable eyes, she found herself caught in a trance; those haunting eyes that revealed not his soul nor emotions, but a danger all too apparent. And just like that, she was trapped. She couldn't turn away as she fell into the eternal abyss that he was accustomed to, that was shown in his eyes. Her heart was beating rapidly and a cold sweat poured down her face, neck, and back. Eventually, his grip around her wrist loosened. Even then she couldn't move. It wasn't until her nose lightly brushed against his that she fell back to the cold ground.

"You're good," she muttered and with a great effort, she tore her eyes away from his.

"At what?" Itachi asked with his frustrating calmness.

He was still pretty close and she wanted to move away; get as far away from there as possible. But she still couldn't move a muscle in her body. When she was able to speak again, she said," being scary."

Itachi waited as she gathered her wits. Not only had he surprised her, but he had used that strange control over her; his eyes were a powerful weapon, stronger than any jutsu. It was sickening. She took a deep breath and slowly backed away a bit more, sliding along the hard, unforgiving ground till her back was safely against the wall. Never had she found a wall so comforting until now. It was anchoring her, the coldness of the stone steadying her breath. She wanted to grip the wall like a child clutches her stuffed animal.

"It's the truth," Itachi stated coldly.

There was a stinging pain in her wrist, but she didn't bother trying to soothe it yet.

_'Stupid!' _she chastised herself again. _'Why did I have to go and do that in the first place? I have better control than that!'_

"Did you have to mangle my wrist?" Sakura grumbled, even though she understood. Ninja (especially in enemy territory) were light sleepers; they were always on alert. She guessed the same applied to missing-nin. It was on instinct that he caught her hand when he felt it brush against his face. She blushed involuntarily.

With a sigh, she finally healed her wrist, the soft green glow of her chakra soothing in itself. It amazed her that he could cause so much damage even without chakra. As she mended her bruised wrist (and pride), she thought about how everything would fall into place. She would sit there asking him questions that he would either ignore or answer with redundant responses. She would be frustrated and stomp away like a child. She knew she was stronger than that, yet she couldn't help herself.

This man was breaking her down when she was the one who should be doing _that _to _him_. _He _was the one who had the control when _he _was the prisoner. _He _should be at _her _mercy.

She was finally fed up.

"I want answers," she said quietly, but with a dead certainty. "I'm sick of getting frustrated by you. No matter how hard I try, you always manage to sidestep me. I've had enough of it, your superiority. You clearly can escape any time you want and yet you don't. So as long as you refuse to leave, you are at _my _mercy. I'm the interrogator and you are the interrogatee. I don't care what kind of strength you hold, it's useless as long as you won't kill me. There's not much you can do in your position. So you either conform or I will kill you no matter what my orders are. You are not a missing-nin anymore. You're a captive."

Her eyes were set in grim determination. She was sick of having to deal with all of this. Itachi's arrogance and her impatience were taking its toll on her. She was going to take charge of her life from now on. She's going to spend more time with the ones she cared for and less time researching in order to get some answers from this obdurate man. She was going to twist his arm until he spills his guts and she didn't care how long it took. Everyone has a breaking point, even Itachi. She just has to find it, no matter how good he is at covering it up.

_'How do you like that, Itachi?' _she thought triumphantly, her mind emanating the name 'Itachi' with a mocking twist.

In the Uchiha manner, he kept his face placid. Her speech didn't seem to faze him. _'But it could have,' _she reminded herself. _'He just doesn't show it.'_

"I'll make a compromise with you," he said, surprising Sakura. "I'll give you answers if you give me answers."

Sakura was feeling rather victorious. She couldn't be sure that her words had enticed this reaction, though.

"What do you mean?" she asked carefully, hiding her exuberance. "Answers to what?"

"You are not the only one with questions."

Itachi didn't get a chance to say what exactly he meant, though. There was a click as the lock to the cell door was opened. With a grating sound, the door opened and the light from burning torches flooded the cell. She could see Itachi's face clearly now. He seemed to be in perfect health, the only thing revealing his detainment was his messy hair.

"Tsunade would like to see you, Sakura," came Shikamaru's voice. He didn't dare enter the cell. Instead, his disembodied voice reverberated off the cold (or to her, comforting) walls, making it seem as if all was good and the conversation between Itachi and Sakura had never occurred. Sakura quickly got up, rather reluctant to leave the comfort of the wall and locked the manacles around his wrists and ankles. Without another word, she walked out of the cell, finally calm enough to keep a level head.

She and Shikamaru walked down the corridor together, both perturbed by the ANBU. She could see his curious glances in her direction, the smoke from his ever-present cigarette shifting whenever he did. He was probably wondering what had occurred between them but knew all would be revealed when they reported to the Hokage.

"Why does Tsunade-shishou want to see me?" she asked Shikamaru.

The ANBU only shrugged, just like the lazy man he was. He probably knew, but was too indolent to say anything. He always knew much more than he should and for a fleeting moment she had the fleeting feeling that it will get him in big trouble. She shook it off, focusing on what Itachi had said. He wasn't really conforming, but it was good enough. It was a compromise, and she would have to deal with it.

She would inform him of her decision tomorrow.

While contemplating what he might want to ask her (and what she wants to ask him) she walked into the Hokage's office. The woman was…doing paperwork? Sakura shook her head and did a double take, wondering if it was a figment of her imagination. She even blinked a couple of times, but the image of her mentor _working _was still before her eyes. Tsunade saw her uncomprehending face and grimaced.

"What?!" She said snippily, a light blush covering her cheeks (and it wasn't from her sake, for there was none around).

The pink-haired medic turned to the lazy shinobi and lifted an eyebrow, asking," Did you do this?"

"Just because I'm doing paperwork doesn't mean I was forced or anything," she said, the blush growing stronger.

"It's true," Shikamaru said, taking a puff of his cigarette. "She's doing this on her own accord."

Sakura was still incredulous, but let it go. She couldn't help but laugh at her shishou's blush though; she didn't think the buxom woman could be so easily embarrassed. One question remained in her mind, though. Where did all the sake go?

"Well, I have some good news," Tsunade said, signing a paper, her signature less drunken than usual.

Sakura perked up.

"I'm sending you on a mission."

Her hopes immediately dropped.

"That's supposed to be good news?" Sakura asked her disbelievingly. It wasn't the alcohol so it must be her age.

"Think of it as a vacation," Tsunade said with a smirk.

"Shishou, you have one warped view of 'vacation'," Sakura said. "Why would you send me on a _mission _when I'm interrogating Itachi?"

"Honestly, you have to take a break from being in that cell all the time," Tsunade retorted.

Great. Just when she had a breakthrough, Tsunade had to bring something like this up. "I don't think it's very convenient," Sakura argued.

Tsunade's forehead crinkled as she lifted her eyebrows. "Do you _want _to stay in that cell with an S-class missing-nin?"

_'Hell no.' _"Well, I managed to have a bit of a breakthrough with Itachi."

Tsunade leaned forward. "What was it?"

"A compromise," she informed. "I answer Itachi's questions and he answers mine."

Her brow creased once more. "Why would he have questions?"

She only shrugged for she didn't know either.

"Do not reveal anything that could put you or this village in danger," Tsunade ordered sternly.

Sakura nodded, wondering how much the woman trusted her.

"It's not because I don't trust you," Tsunade said, as if reading her thoughts. "You just have to be careful around him."

Sakura nodded once more.

"Good, you leave tomorrow at oh five hundred," Tsunade said with a grin.

Her jaw dropped. "B-but I-"

"I don't care if you made a breakthrough or not," her shishou interrupted brusquely. "This mission is of utmost importance. There have been missing-nin uprisings and I need you to go to Amegakure to investigate."

"Uprisings?" she repeated.

"It seems our rogues have been getting rowdy," Shikamaru said. "A lot of our ninja have been killed."

"Fine," Sakura said, giving in.

There was no fighting the decision of someone of higher authority. Sakura turned and left, leaving a certain alcoholic feeling triumphant.

-0-

"Master, what should we do about this…_problem_?"

This master looked down at his subordinate. The man squirmed under his penetrating gaze. His master was most definitely an intimidating man.

"It is not a problem," the man replied, turning away.

He was still in his study. He didn't feel like leaving his sanctuary but his subordinates kept coming in through the door as if it was a flood gate and had been released, causing a tumult of missing-nin to flow through. There was no escaping them.

The subordinate looked down and scuffed his sandal. _He _thought it was a problem.

"They're being irresponsible," the man said quietly, not wanting to make a bad impression on his master.

"The can do as they wish," the master said. "There's nothing I can do to stop them."

The subordinate looked up. True, they were untamable. But they were causing more trouble than they were worth.

"If you say so, sir," the man said, exiting the room. If he continued any further, he would've been killed for insubordination.

The man was right, though. They were causing too much tribulation. If they kept on acting up, something was going to happen. But he doesn't have that much control over them. Sure, they fear him. But he knew that they were getting impatient. He'll allow them to act up as much as they like. They needed a little freedom if they were to remain loyal to him. There were only a few he could trust; only few that would remain loyal no matter what. Those few will be the key essentials in his plan.

-0-

Sakura arrived at the gates to find a group of ninja waiting. Among them was Sai. She could identify him even though the sun wasn't even out yet. They all just looked like shadows come to life, ghosts against a dark blue backdrop.

"Well, Ugly, looks like you're going to be our leader," Sai said as she approached the throng of ninja.

Sakura stopped short. "Leader?"

"You were assigned by the Hokage to be our leader," a jonin piped up.

Her face fell. Tsunade clearly doesn't know what a 'vacation' is.

"Okay, then, let's head out," she said.

The gates opened and they exited the village, immediately jumped into the trees. They traveled quickly to the border of the Land of Fire, making sure to get this over quickly. It was a warm day, the sun filtering through the trees. The only thing strange was the silence. Sakura expected to hear birds chirping happily like they often did near her apartment. But there was no sound as they jumped from branch to branch like shadows amongst the trees. Sai noticed this, too, for the silence was unsettling. Unconsciously, he touched the ninjato on his back.

Sakura sent a look toward him and he nodded in understanding.

"Stay on guard," Sakura said into the wireless communicator. "Something's not right."

There were murmured responses from the rest of the platoon. They were nearing the border, and the woods only got quieter. Soon enough, there was a clearing, free of any foliage. A river ran through a small village, sinuating under a low bridge. They ran on ground now, traveling through the small town. Something wasn't right there, either. There were no villagers about. In the market, no merchants sold their goods and the stands were abandoned. Not even animals roamed the streets.

They left the village quickly and returned to the woods where they'd have better cover. Sakura pulled out a kunai and kept it at her side, preparing to attack any enemy that may come their way. Sai did the same and stiffened his back, readying for a battle. There was a rustling of leaves nearby and Sakura threw her kunai at the tree. There was a splash of water as the blade landed and then more silence.

_'Clone,' _Sakura thought, getting another kunai from her pouch. "Get ready!" she said into the wireless.

She looked around carefully, trying to decide where the person who created the clone was.

"Do you see anything?" she asked Sai in a whisper.

He shook his head in response, his eyes narrowed and scanning the area steadily. Sakura heard a branch snap and sent a kunai with an explosive tag flying through the foliage to where she heard the branch crack. The detonation resounded through the trees, destroying most of the wildlife in the surrounding area. Once the blast subsided all was silent again.

_'Did I get him?' _she wondered, hypersensitive to any movement that might say otherwise.

Leaves fell from a nearby tree. They were a healthy green and there was no breeze to blow them off. This time it was Sai who attacked, sending several kunai into that tree. Exactly at the same time the kunai embedded themselves in the branch of the tree, another snap was heard and more leaves fell.

"There's more than one," Sakura told Sai. Turning her attention back to their mysterious visitor, she called out to whoever was hiding. "Are you a coward? Why don't you come out and show yourself! You haven't even attacked."

In a flash of movement, a man was standing in front of her. "Boo."

With one swift motion, a sword was aimed to her chest. Sai stepped in front of Sakura to block the man's broadsword.

"Go find the other one," he said, pushing his katana against the man's sword.

Sakura nodded and headed through the trees, her ears perked for the slightest sound. It was now that the unnerving silence became a huge help and a huge hindrance. She could hear any movement, but her enemy could also hear her.

_Snap._

She grabbed a few shuriken and threw it at a tree. She waited for a moment to see if it landed, but heard nothing.

_'What's going on?' _she wondered, pulling out more kunai.

None of her shuriken or kunai were landing. Not that she had perfect aim, but it was good enough to hit a target square on. Even the explosive tag was ineffective. Either her enemy was inhumanly fast or she was off her game.

_Rustle._

She saw more green leaves slowly drift to the forest floor. She prepared to throw her kunai, but hesitated. She mentally slapped herself for such an old trick. It was just a game! The person had deceived her into thinking that he was in one place when he really wasn't. She learned that trick in the academy and yet had forgotten about when it was used on her. Now the only thing to do is figure out where he actually is.

_'Okay,' _she thought, taking deep, calming breaths. _'Remember what Itachi told you.'_

She closed her eyes. In doing so, her other senses heightened and were on full-alert. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face as if it was a waterfall. Strangely enough, she heard the cry of a hawk above her head. She was thankful that the air was stagnant; she could pick up any atypical noise. And when she heard it, she almost thought nothing of it. It was the sound of something cutting air. It wasn't metal, though. It was the sound of a body moving. At first, she heard only the moving of that body's arms, but then there was another sound. It was the sound of rustling leaves; someone purposely moved a branch. Then there was nothing.

_'He made another clone.'_

The person had quickly moved away from the clone he had created. She could hear as he moved through the branches, keeping in close proximity of her. She smiled, eyes still closed, and sent chakra into her feet. Moving as fast as she could, she jumped through the tress, and aimed a punch at her unseen enemy. There was a crunch as she hit her target square on the jaw. Finally, she opened her eyes to see the damage she had done.

It was a woman with a bruise on her jaw right where Sakura had hit her. The woman was rather tall and had green eyes, darker than her own. Wasting no time, she took out her wire and tied it around the fazed woman. Sakura moved to the ground with the woman.

"Sai, give me an update," she said into her wireless.

She had to wait a while before she received an answer.

"He escaped."

"That's okay; I've captured one of them. Get the others and meet up with me."

"Understood," Sai said.

She stood there, waiting and keeping an eye on the female. She wore a Kirigakure headband with a scratch through it. She was clearly a missing-nin. She was once beautiful; Sakura could tell by her heart-shaped face and wavy blonde hair. But now her heart-shaped face is filled with scars and her wavy blonde hair is filled with dirt.

Sakura couldn't wait to work her interrogation skills on her.

-0-

Sunagakure was in its usual sunny state as Naruto stood at its gates. Sweat poured down his crimson body, pooling around his feet. He repeatedly poked his forearm, watching as his skin turned white around his finger's impression.

"Ow," he moaned, prodding his sensitive skin once more.

"If it hurts so much, stop," Kankuro said. It was a stupid thing to say; the fool never learned. He probably had to go through the 'fire is hot' process numerous times.

"Why isn't Temari here?" said fool asked, ignoring Kankuro. It's not that he wanted her there (he had the overwhelming feeling that she wanted to throttle him during the course of his stay) he was just curious as to why she hadn't joined Kankuro.

"She's busy," Kankuro answered hastily. The truth is the fan-wielder didn't want to be seen in public with a half-naked jinchuuriki.

Kankuro was about ready to rip his hair out. They were waiting for the Kazekage's approval to pass through the gates. He was to escort Naruto back to Konoha.

_'Oh joy,' _he thought_,' I get to spend more time with the mad streaker.'_

"Hey, what's that?' Naruto asked, abandoning his smarting appendage.

Kankuro looked to where Naruto was staring, thinking it was another mirage. What he saw, though, was sand being picked up by an unknown force and swirling around, forming a large orb. The sand then dispersed, replaced by a red-haired man.

"Can we go, Gaara?" Kankuro asked, keeping his impatience from showing in his voice.

"I'm afraid you can't leave," the Kazekage responded.

Naruto groaned in contempt. "Why not?"

"The Hokage sent a messenger hawk," Gaara said, slightly irked at the blonde's impertinence, but not showing it. "She says that she dispatched another platoon to handle the missing-nin."

"She doesn't want us to interfere?" Kankuro guessed at why they couldn't leave.

"No," Gaara said, dismissing his reasoning. "She wants us to wait till the battle dies down."

"They're fighting?" Naruto asked, taken aback. "Who did she send?"

"Your teammates Sakura and Sai are fighting a currently unknown enemy."

"Shouldn't we help?" Naruto asked, desperate to assist his friends.

"As I said before, Tsunade doesn't want to risk it," Gaara informed, urging the foolhardy boy to compose himself. "If the people your friends are battling are missing-nin, they might be connected with the Akatsuki. If you leave, you're putting yourself in danger."

That was the one thing that incapacitated Naruto. _Kyuubi_. It was bittersweet; the monster gave him incredible strength and healing powers at the cost of living his life in paranoia. He knew the Hokage was only looking after him (she did consider him a son, like she considered Sakura a daughter) but it irritated him. He could hardly go on missions, and when he did, he had to have a squadron with him along with his ANBU team. And now, he couldn't help his teammates.

The worst part, there was nothing he can do.

-0-

**(A/N) -Blows into tissue- Well, hope you liked. If you didn't get the slight joke with 'where did all the sake go', it alludes to Pirates of the Carribean when Jack Sparrow asked 'But where did all the rum go?'. I like inserting little jokes that you don't even have to understand because it wouldn't matter. This chapter was a lot like what happened with Kakashi; I purposely did it similarly. On another note, you may have noticed I changed my name. I am no longer I Heart Randomness (though I still do). I am now Clyde (you can refer to me as Clyde-chan). I have a twin brother, Chad (her real name's Alyssa). Together, we're Clad. Do not ask; I don't really know myself. **

**Anyhow, I downloaded a new writing program (Openoffice) because it said that it had enhanced support (with the little number sign). I don't know what that means because it said the same thing for the other enhanced support (you know, the one with the plus sign). I don't know the difference. If someone would like to explain it to me, that'd be great; I don't want to find out when I upload a new story.**

**Review for snotty tissues (again, just kidding). You're getting Gaara.**

**Gaara: Wait…what?**

**-Wraps up Gaara in a bow-**

**There you go! Now to ship you off to the readers!**


	5. Torture

**(A/N) You may have noticed I uped the rating on this chapter. It gets descriptive (no, not sex, you pervs). Just blood and guts. This chapter is short so deal with it. I don't know if the next chapter will be any longer.** **I'm really tired and think I'm narcoleptic (along with Shikamaru). I found out my friend is cutting herself (another one to add to my list) and having big troubles with her life. I want her to feel better so I've been talking to her a lot, and honestly, I'm exhausted. Another thing I just found out is that my dog might have cancer. He wasn't eating, and when he did, he was throwing up his food and pooping in the house. We took him to get blood tests and everything and he might have cancer. My life is hectic but I'm glad I can find some kind of refuge in writing for my luverly readers. I just want to thank you all for your reviews because they help me go on. I lurve you all XP**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, emphasis, flashbacks.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. Damn Masashi…**

**Mikadzuki**

**Torture**

_Your Eyes_

_The soul that dwells inside your eyes_

_Knows nothing of what you feel and despise._

_They do not show the Pain you're in_

_And know nothing of my unspeakable Sin._

_They only Reflect what you can see,_

_But they cannot reveal what is to be._

_And yet you already appear to know,_

_Where this Hell is about to go._

_For your eyes widen in terrible shock,_

_The grief and anguish of this epoch._

_Then they brim with bloody tears_

_While your last breath gradually nears. _

_Your beautiful eyes, they begin to dull_

_Your useless spirit is reasonably null._

_The soul has vanished; it's no longer there,_

_This is my Torture that I cannot bear._

_- Marisa S._

-0-

Tsunade looked down at the body on her operating table with a guilt that seemed to consume her. It was her fault that the man was lying there with almost untreatable wounds covering his entire body, festering gashes trailing across his too pale skin. She shouldn't have sent him out on that mission; she was foolish for underestimating the enemy. Now she was standing there haggard and anxious, concerned not only for him, but for her 'daughter' who was also out there, possibly with the same wounds as him.

_'I just keep making the same mistakes,' _she thought exasperatedly. She gripped the table's edge till her knuckles turned white. Her teeth grinded in her mouth as tears of frustration threatened to fall from her light brown eyes.

_'Damn it all!'_

Kakashi's platoon was murdered because of her recklessness. They were all experienced men with abilities that rivaled her own. How could they all have been so easily defeated?

_'Because you were imprudent,' _a voice in her head mocked. A cruel voice that knew all of her weaknesses, and can use them against her.

She took deep calming breaths, willing all of these thoughts away. Right now, she has to focus on her patient. Nothing else. She held her hands above his torso, an eerie glow emitting from them like a small fog. The flesh slowly rebuilt, adhering itself to the torn skin. It was a slow and tedious process, but eventually the man will be mended.

She didn't notice as the door to the emergency room was opened; she was too busy healing Kakashi and choking back tears that were not befitting of her. She was not to cry no matter what. She was a leader and had to be strong even when faced with the most arduous challenges. She was not to cry for one fallen soldier that added to the numerous piling up on her conscience. She was not to cry for her village, for if she cried, it would cry as well. No, tears were not to be shed.

Tsunade didn't even hear the door close, whether it was due to her concentration or the fact that it was closed carefully as to not disrupt her. She was carefully repairing the torn muscles that were sliced when the katana pierced the soft tissue beneath the flesh. She was often an impatient woman, but she knew when it came to medical procedures, she had to take her time. So after many anxious hours of healing, she was finally able to mend broken bones and torn flesh. Of course, scars would remain, but that was the least of her concerns

"How's he doing?"

Tsunade wiped her brow and turned to where the voice came from. An apprehensive Shikamaru leaned against the far wall without a cigarette (he was respectful of the wounded).

"Why are you so concerned?" the Hokage asked, lifting her eyebrow as she settled into a chair placed nearby.

There was only one light in the operating room, right above the patient. Naturally, there were no windows. She took a manila folder from the one table in the room and flipped through it, sighing as she saw how much work she had to get done in the next few days. She had no time for this when her student was out there fighting for her life.

"I've known him for a while," Shikamaru replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Time forms a bond. Besides, he _is _Sakura's sensei."

"I'm beginning to think you have a bit of a crush on her," Tsunade said, trying to make casual conversation. Anything to take her mind off of the impending doom settling in her heart, becoming more and more prominent with each labored breath.

Catching on, Shikamaru asks quizzically," What makes you say that?"

"Well, you do offer to fetch the girl every time I need her," Tsunade said, glad for the light subject. He was humoring her, and she was thankful for it.

"I care for her, I'll admit that much," he said. "But it's strictly platonic."

"I bet you want it to be something more," Tsunade said with a wicked grin. Some of the pain had alleviated. She no longer felt constricted and anxious.

Shikamaru was somewhat surprised by the Hokage. He thought she would've wanted to forget about Sakura for now, not talk about his relationship with her. He knew they were only friends, and respected that (not that he didn't harbor any other feeling for the pink-haired medic). "What would you do if I wanted it to be something more?" he asked the woman, suddenly craving a tar-filled cigarette.

"I would castrate you and feed your genitalia to the dogs so you will never procreate," she replied with a smile that wasn't congruous with her statement.

Shikamaru shuddered at the Hokage's words, knowing that they were not an idle threat; she was way too overprotective of her 'daughter'. "Don't you think I'm one of the better guys? You wouldn't want Sakura to be with someone who is not so…"

"What? Nice?" Tsunade asked challengingly. "That's rather high talk coming from a lazyass chain-smoker."

"Hypocrite."

"I'm not a smoker."

"Yeah, but you're lazy."

"No, I'm an alcoholic."

"Because that's _so _much better."

Shikamaru wasn't the least bit concerned about that, though. The Sannin had proved herself capable with handling the village even though she was drunk most of the time. Actually, he was beginning to think that was the cause of it. He knew, though, Tsunade was troubled by her recent decisions.

"Listen, you're doing the right thing," he said abruptly. "All leaders would react the same way in this situation."

The Hokage's eyes darkened considerably as she looked at Kakashi's wounded form on the table. "Define 'right'," she said. "Everyone has their own views on what is right and wrong."

"Well, my view on 'right' is doing what you can for the well-being of those you love," he answered. "And that is exactly what you are doing."

She still looked unconvinced. She couldn't shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen. Not 'I can't find my sake' bad, but 'apocalyptic cataclysm' bad. And she couldn't help but feel that she will be the cause of it. She couldn't help but feel she will cause the collapse of her village.

-0-

Sai and the rest of the platoon stood with Sakura, watching the missing-nin with wary eyes. Sakura smiled at the woman triumphantly who glowered back, pulling at her restraints. The noises of the forest were back, birds chirping a merry tune and squirrels scrambling up trees. These animals were smart enough to know when a battle was about to occur and that they should hide. It was most likely a common procedure as ninja often battled in these forests where the shade was thick and the shadows would cloak them, even in the daytime.

"We could do this the easy way or the hard way," Sakura suggested. "The easy way; you come clean with any information you might have. The hard way; I beat the crap out of you, and then you give us the information."

"I won't tell you _anything_," the woman spat, her eyes fierce.

"Let's not get imprudent, now," Sakura scorned. "You're forgetting who's in control. If you give me information, I will release you."

Sai glanced at her and she sent him a look that said 'I know what I'm doing'. Even though Sai didn't believe her, he left it alone, hoping she had learned something in her research.

"Kill me if you want," the woman responded. "I will die with honor."

"I never said anything about killing you," Sakura answered. "I'm not above torturing, though."

At the pink-haired girl's sadistic smile, she paled slightly. Sakura was enjoying this, which unnerved her. She liked the power which she could not have over Itachi.

_'I can control this woman,' _she thought.

It scared her yet empowered her. She wondered if this was how Ibiki felt when he interrogated someone. _'No!' _she hissed in her mind. She gained no pleasure from other people's pain; even her enemies. Every time she killed someone on a mission, she felt a terrible ache in her heart, knowing that person had a family and a life. Above all, they had a _soul_. Who was she to take that away from them? You can't destroy what you did not create.

Still, if those people were to harm her friends or village, she would kill them without a second thought. She would always protect her friends, no matter how cruel it was to take another life.

"Fine, torture me!" the missing-nin snarled, though there was fear evident in her eyes no matter how hard she tried to cover it. "I will never give up anything to _you_."

Sakura sighed. She knew she was going to have to torture this woman physically and she knew she wouldn't enjoy it. _'But this is what a ninja must do,' _she thought resignedly. She pulled out a kunai, her platoon watching circumspectly.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Sakura?" Sai asked.

He never thought of her as the kind of girl who'd want to torture another human being. But he understood, even when she did not answer. She _had _to do this. He knew her as a kind-hearted girl who cared about both her village and friends. If she was to protect those two entities, she would have to bring down her foes at all costs.

Sakura kneeled in front of the cagey missing-nin. She brought the blade to the other woman's throat, tracing it across her gullet. The missing-nin didn't dare move, the feeling of the cold blade stilling her breath. If she even swallowed, the blade would cut into her carotid vein, causing the blood flowing to her head to leak out like a tributary whose flood banks were destroyed. The knife moved away from her neck, but she still didn't respire. She felt the cool touch of metal make contact with her clavicle. It slid downward with force, causing a stinging pain to erupt in her chest. Blood made its way from the long, thin wound, disappearing down the collar of her yukata, forming a slow path to her stomach.

"Do you want to say anything now?" Sakura asked in a cool tone.

"No," the missing-nin seethed, her voice hoarse. She took shallow breaths, trying to assuage the pain.

"Too bad…"

Sakura tilted the blade, moving it across her chest even deeper than before and the missing-nin hissed in pain. The woman kept a placid face though; this was nothing compared to what she had been through. The feeling of the warm, crimson liquid sliding down her filthy skin was almost nostalgic. The pain was searing and burned her in a way that made her very soul quiver, but that too, was familiar.

"These tiny scratches are nothing," the nuke-nin intoned.

Sakura believed her. That's why she lifted her blade and plunged it into the skin of her upper arm, near her shoulder. The missing-nin cried out in agony, unable to contain herself. The metal tore through her skin and muscle, like an excavator searching for artifacts lost in time. The once cool blade was now unbearably hot as blood oozed it's way out around the knife, dripping down her already scarred arm. She pulled it down, letting it slide through her heated flesh, tearing every muscle the blade came in contact with.

"How about this?" Sakura asked, pulling the blade out of her arm excruciatingly slow.

The missing-nin whimpered in pain. It was agonizing, making her want to tear off the arm so her pain would be no more. More blood erupted from the lesion and she knew it was too much for her body to be losing.

"I…I c-can handle it," the woman stammered the lie, her pain becoming less sharp and more of a widespread and stinging heat.

The blood continued to flow from the laceration like a stream curving downhill. Sakura tried not to look at the horrible wound; the one _she _had cruelly made. She had pierced deeper than she thought, revealing the white of bone. Surely she had cut an artery. She could only imagine the pain which was cast upon the woman. She tried to avoid the missing-nin's eyes, but could not resist. Her dark green eyes were filled with so many emotions. Hatred, agony, regret. They were shadowed with demons of her past. These wounds would be nothing compared to the emotional wounds she endured in the past, whatever they were.

Averting her eyes, Sakura once again sunk the kunai into the woman's flesh. Her strangled cry was almost too much to bear. It sounded like a dying animal. In truth, that was exactly what she was.

"How about now?" she asked breathlessly, not sure how much more of this she could handle. If she was this winded, she could only imagine how her victim felt. "Do you wish to say something?"

The woman bit her lip, preventing herself from screaming out. Sakura dug the blade deeper into her cleaved flesh. She gasped as more blood blossomed from the deep lesion.

"Are you involved with the Akatsuki in any way?" she asked.

"Y-yes," the missing-nin gasped out, unable to take it anymore. She was nearing her breaking point, slowly but surely.

"How?"

"I-I don't know."

Sakura twisted the knife, tearing more muscle and flesh. The woman let out a blood-curdling scream. Even more blood dripped out of the revolting abrasion like red tear drops, flowing down her upper arm, into the crook of her elbow, and down her forearm. It pooled on the ground, seeping into the dirt. The ants drowned in the gory pool, like swimmers who have gone out too deep in the ocean. It was a morbid allegory of life and death.

"I honestly d-don't know!" the woman whimpered. "I wasn't told!"

"Told?" Sakura asked, her hand now saturated with someone else's blood.

"I wasn't informed of much," the woman panted, slowly regaining her breath. Her arm was severely disfigured now. It didn't even look like an arm; it was more of a bloody tree branch which lost all of its foliage and was eroded with time, with apertures and scars.

"By whom?"

A look of fear and panic crossed the nuke-nin's eyes. "If I tell you, I will be punished worse than this."

"By whom?" the torturer repeated, twisting the knife even harder into the extremely deep lesion.

Abruptly, all of the woman's fear vanished, even though she was being tortured. "I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea who is pulling the strings in this world."

This left Sakura utterly confused. _Whose pulling the strings in this world_.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her grip on the knife slacking a bit.

"You'll find out soon enough," the woman said. "For now, know this. We are organized; a group. There'll be no stopping us."

"Such confident words," Sakura said silkily, befuddled under her façade. "I wouldn't be speaking them if I were you."

The woman smiled; not a happy smile, but a forlorn one. "Kill me now. That's the only information I have."

"Not if I can help it," Sakura said, but stopped herself from digging any further when she saw the nuke-nin's eyes change once more.

Determination shone in them. "If you don't do it, I will."

It was then Sakura noticed the wire cutting into the woman's lacerated flesh. There was blood trickling from thin cuts on her wrists. The wire was sharp enough to slice into her skin. She could easily slit her wrists if she pressed against it hard enough,

"I'm afraid I can't let you die yet," Sakura said, her grip tightening once more.

The missing-nin gave a hollow laugh; she could tell it pained her. "But I'm saying nothing more, for that is all I know. I was not told anything."

Sakura would think she was lying had she not looked into her eyes. They were the eyes of someone who knew they had done a horrible deed, yet accepted it as their death. And yet, she could not bring herself to do it. She could not pull out the knife and plunge it into the woman's slowly beating heart. No matter what sins this woman (stranger, really) had committed, she could not bring herself to end a human life after being so cruel. She didn't even know her name.

_'But I'm a ninja,' _she thought. _'This is what I do.'_

She had to put this woman out of her misery like a sick animal that could no longer cling to life. Her eyes begged the torturer to end her pitiful life. And who was she to deny that request?

"Sakura…" she heard Sai say, as if through a filter.

Everything seemed to fade away. The woods and the platoon were like a distant memory, shrouded by a translucent darkness. All that she was aware of was the woman in front of her who was bound and bloody. Her eyes seemed to stare into Sakura's ever so fragile soul, and her words swam through her mind like a lingering whisper. She took the knife out from her arm, but no gasp or shudder came from the missing-nin. She was far beyond pain, entering the confines of death.

"Forgive me," Sakura whispered, sinking the kunai into the woman's chest.

_'For everything…'_

**(A/N) An offhanded note, I wrote the poem at the beginning because I couldn't find a good quote. It's not the best, it's a different style than I usually write, but it gets the point across (lol). As you can see, a lot of this story has to deal with eyes. Itachi's haunting and dangerous eyes and the missing-nin's dark, strong, and ghostly eyes. As you probably figured out (unless you're terribly obtuse) the eyes I spoke of were the unnamed missing-nin's. The first stanza is about her eyes and how you can see anyone's soul in their eyes. The second stanza is referring to the eventual descent into death, the 'Hell' being her torture. The third stanza describes the woman's changing emotions as she realizes what is bond to come. The last stanza is about her final descent into the abyss known as death, as Sakura has to cope with what she has done. So hopefully, if it confused you before (I know it's not the most difficult poem) you now know what I'm talking about. **

**On another note, I wrote the part with Tsunade healing Kakashi while listening to Monochrome by Yoko Kanno; I found it suiting. This entire story is being written to Beware by Deftones. I find it's a good song to listen to while writing a story. Any questions you may have (and I don't mean 'when are Itachi and Sakura going to be reunited' questions) just ask and I will reply. I think last chapter I responded to just about everyone's reviews, and if I didn't, I apologize. As you know, I'm very busy.**

**So, the review prize is a carnation for Mother's Day. I know most of my teenage readers really dislike their mothers at times, but it's their day and you better give them some love…or else you're grounded.**

**P.S. Check out this awesome website (well, if you know a lot of words) and you can stop world hunger: /**


	6. My Apocalypse

**(A/N) I expected to update sooner, and I tried, I really did! As I said, the world is preventing me from updating this story. I've been really busy. For example, yesterday I went to Dorney Park and got sunburned (which Naruto is now poking). I have a huge headache because of it. I rarely get sunburned, too! Just my luck.**

**Anyway, I hope no one was scarred for life by the last chapter. I probably lost a lot of readers. Sorry about that, but this story is going to get a bit more intense and faster pace. Actually, this chapter may seem a bit slow because I put a lot of detail into it.**

**Mikadzuki**

**My Apocalypse**

_I walk with shadows  
(you have to find a better way)  
I walk with shadows  
(the questions I will never say)  
Hiding from the gallows  
(they keep me safe and sound)  
So I walk with shadows  
(the ways of burning down this house)_

_-My Apocalypse, Escape the Fate_

-0-

"We're continuing to Amegakure," Sakura stated firmly as she healed one of her maimed comrades.

Only minutes before she was retching someplace in the woods. This was too much for her to handle, both mentally and physically. Her body couldn't take it. She had just taken someone's _life_. She watched as her eyes dulled to a grey color, the light in them vanishing. She watched as the soul left its earthly container, falling into another plane of existence. She watched as the blood drained from her body, pooling on the ground and staining it crimson. Sakura stared at her blood-splattered hands. Those hands had just relinquished someone of their life.

When she returned to the area where the platoon was standing Sai shot her a sympathetic look (the best he could conjure due to his mental state). They had buried the body when she was gone so the remains could return to the earth and the circle of life can continue. Sakura stood for a moment before the protruding mound of dirt where the cadaver lay underneath and placed her hands together to pray for the lost soul.

Sai nodded in understanding of her order. "We've made it this far, there's no point in returning to Konoha."

And so, they headed to the village, still on guard not only for fear of a missing-nin attack, but because Amegakure was a war-torn country. The Fire, Wind, Earth, and River countries bordered Ame along with Taki and Kusagakure. You never know when a battle will break out. As for Sakura, she was battling with her inner demons. Sai saw her brooding expression and though he was not adroit in the field emotions and mental stability, he fell into step beside her.

"You have to do what you can to protect the village," he stated simply, as if her mental state could be saved with those words.

Sakura nodded, humoring his half-hearted attempt at helping her. "I know, but…" She sighed, trying to sort out her thoughts. "I took a _life_. Sure, I've killed numerous enemies before, but I've never _tortured _them. I've never intentionally caused them prolonged pain; I always try to end it quickly. Even though they're enemies, I'm not malicious like that."

"It's what ninja must do," Sai responded icily. "You need to learn that everything's not always so clean-cut. You'll have to get your hands dirty. Shinobi are deceptive assassins that strike from the shadows, not honest-to-God heroes who protect the greater good of all. We do what we have to and what we're ordered to do."

"I know that," she growled, annoyed at his preaching. "I didn't enter the ninja academy thinking it was going to be fun and easy. Even though I was young and naïve, I knew what it meant to be a ninja."

"Then you understand why you must do these things."

Sakura grumbled and picked up her pace, flying through the trees, hoping to leave both Sai and her thoughts behind. All she wanted to do was feel the wind blowing her pink hair around her face in a tumult. The sun beat hard on her face as if it was punishment for the transgression she committed against humanity. Akin to a saving grace, the trees blocked the sun's castigation like demons sprouting from the earth, protecting their kind. Even though the trees blocked the penalizing rays, they were still there, waiting for her to finally come out of the shadows and accept her punishment.

"We're getting closer," Sai said from behind her, a hint of petulance in his voice. He knows that Sakura ditched him (even though he is inept at social norms) and knows how to behave accordingly. Unfortunately, though, it's his most commonly used emotion. If he expresses any feelings, it's usually sulkiness.

Amegakure was the epitome of war-torn countries. The smell of blood and smoke was thick in the air. The villagers who sat around dwindling fires sent wary glares to the platoon. Corpses lay in the street, forgotten by time. They were mostly from different villages, their headbands tarnished by the elements, some of them having scratches across the middle, marking them as missing-nin who died at the hands of rival rogues. Some of them were villagers who died from exposure or murder. It was easy to tell this was a squalid place and uninhabitable for both humans and animals. The worst part about it was that there was no government to do anything about it; there's nothing you can do to be relieved of poverty.

"We should split up and investigate," Sakura said.

"What are we looking for?" a jonin asked.

"Anything suspicious that may give us a clue to the missing-nin upheavals."

The members of the squadron nodded and disappeared in a flash of movement. Sakura decided to go northwest where the mountains began, marking the beginning of the earth country. It was far from the bankrupt heart of the village and she quickly became cold from the higher altitude, regretting having worn a short-sleeved shirt and shorts (even though they were aerodynamic and comfortable). She rubbed the gooseflesh on her arms in an attempt to warm herself up all the while trying to avert her eyes from the blatant display of poverty. It was so different from Konoha and Sakura found herself homesick.

_'I've been on countless missions before and _now _I'm becoming wistful,' _she thought bitterly.

Maybe it was because she had just ruthlessly murdered someone or maybe it was because of the poverty and the cold, but now all she could think of was her comfortable bed or an oddly comfortable cell with a not-so-comfortable man. Sakura shook her head, wondering why she was thinking of _him _of all people.

This distraction prevented her from noticing her surroundings and when she finally snapped back to reality, she found herself in an abandoned part of the village, high in the mountain. There weren't any houses or people, just ruins of once great structures that were massive and foreboding. Abruptly, Sakura felt a strange pull on her body. Her trained senses immediately picked up like sails to the wind. She walked through the derelict town, a feeling as if she shouldn't be there running through her veins. Now, she wasn't much one for ghost stories what with her logistical analyses and erudite theories, but this area didn't sit right with her. Just as she was about to turn tail and run, she saw it.

A large, black mark, covering more than a one kilometer radius, sat right before her bewildered green eyes. That wasn't what surprised her, though. What surprised her was the thin coating of chakra discharging from the piece of land. She approached the scorched area cautiously, kneeling down and brushing her fingers over the blackened earth. She looked at her fingers, which were now black, and lifted them to her nose, wincing as a putrid smell filled her nose. It didn't smell like burnt earth should. If it was a normal burn, it would have a light, musky smell. But this… Not only was it musky, but it was strong to the point were it overpowered her olfactory senses.

This wasn't a normal fire. The earth was extremely black, and she could see the burns penetrated deeper into the ground. She stood and brushed herself off, trying to rid her clothes of the cinders. She started to walk away, never to think of this again, when something incongruous caught her eye. She walked over to it in spite of her better judgment; she should just report back to the platoon. But, no, she let the curiosity get the better of her. She bent down and picked up the item, scrutinizing it like a chemist in a lab. It was burnt badly, even more so than the earth, but she could recognize it as a piece of cloth. Thinking nothing of it, she stuffed it into the pouch around her waist.

"Everyone, report back," Sakura said through her communicator

She hurried back to the entrance of Konoha, glad that she could still find her way back. Most of the platoon was already there. They waited until the rest arrived, and when they did, they came with bruises and cuts.

"What the hell happened?" Sakura asked exasperatedly.

"No one ever said this was a peaceful land," one of the most badly bruised grumbled.

"We got caught up in a skirmish," another said.

It was quite a feat for two highly trained shinobi to be caught up in a skirmish and injured. Sighing, Sakura healed them, feeling the steady drain of chakra. If she kept going like this, she would collapse.

"I think we should rest here," she said after easing the shinobis' pain.

"Did you hear what I said?" the rejuvenated shinobi asked. "This place is dangerous!"

"I may be able to heal wounds, but I can't heal exhaustion," Sakura said, irked at his insubordination. "Besides, it's getting dark. We can't make it back to Konoha before night falls."

Reluctantly, the shinobi followed their orders. They couldn't fight the decision of their leader. They were trained to obey their superiors, after all. Sakura went off to search for a suitable place to rest, and opted for an abandoned church.

_'It's a sanctuary, maybe I can find peace,' _she thought acrimoniously.

She was tired of fighting her demons. It was taking a toll on her weathered mind. She needed rest and _now_. Calling her platoon, they entered the church with a grimace. Sai was the only one who kept a placid face.

"You're shinobi, you should be used to harsh conditions," she lectured. "Unless, of course, you want to sleep in the streets."

That caused them to quiet their moaning. They each chose a dusty pew to sleep on, ignoring the scuttle of rats and slither of snakes. No sleeping bag would prevent one of them from crawling on them and giving them a surprise in the morning. Sakura found she was unable to sleep, despite her fatigue. There were too many thoughts crowding her mind, begging to be examined and elucidated. Instead, she locked them away, feeling their incessant clawing at the imaginary wall she had created.

"I'll take first watch," she said.

The others nodded, yawned, shifted, and settled into their comfortable subconscious while Sakura watched enviously. In the darkness, she wondered about what this church was once like. It was covered in a century of dust and grime, making it look like a phantom's cathedral. The only signs of hallowedness were the decrepit bibles and the faded cross atop the altar. She picked up one of the sacred tomes, hoping to find some comfort in their eminent words. Opening the volume, she picked up a wave of dust and coughed lightly, hoping not to wake the others. Brushing off a coating of filth, she found the black words were faded. She could distinguish a few words such as 'thy' and 'God' but those weren't enough to bring solace to a tortured mind.

Abandoning her quest for consolation, she looked at the front of the church; the podium where the minister would stand and preach, the large bible on the small table, and the faded ornament that once signified so much more than a simple cross. Soon enough, she felt a light tap on her shoulder and a voice telling her that she could sleep, her shift was over. That was all she remembered before falling into the dust-covered dark.

-0-

_There were too many shadows. They twisted together, mixing and merging, dancing to a rhythm all their own. Not one could be separated from the rest. They became united, a mixture of black against a red backdrop. It seemed inconceivable that there could be shadows when there was no light. Sakura looked up to the sky to see that there was no sun, no stars, no moon. She lifted a hand, letting it graze the mass of darkness. Swallowing hard, she walked through the jumble of shadows, feeling as they moved against her skin, played with her hand, lightly brush her face. When she finally emerged, she found herself in Konoha._

_Still, she found herself among shadows, the sky still red. She moved down the abandoned streets, wondering where everyone was. She walked to a place that was all too familiar and subsequently entered the cell where Itachi was being held. But it was not Itachi sitting in the chair with manacles ensnaring his wrists and ankles. It was someone else -a shadow- who sat, staring with equally jarring eyes. She watched as shadows materialized from its body, detaching themselves to join the others in their ghostly dance._

_She had to get away. She tried to run, but found her legs too slow, her movements sluggish. She urged herself on, trying to escape this Hell. She had to get away. Somehow, she found herself back on the streets, only to see the Hokage's tower burning. Shadows glided around it, holding hands and dancing in joviality. Sakura looked around fervently, trying to find Itachi. She tried to call out for him, but no words could pass her lips._

_She couldn't do anything. She stood there, helpless, watching the building and the inhabitants inside burned, watching as the shadows danced hand-in-hand around the collapsing structure. Soon enough, the entire village had caught fire. _

_"This could have been prevented," a voice whispered against her ear as ghostly arms wound around her waist. _

_The voice was familiar, yet she couldn't place her finger on it. It was like a distant memory, clouded by time. Just as she finally recognized it, she found herself in a deserted land, skeletons littering the ground. The red sky remained, but there were no more shadows._

_"These are your skeletons," the sickeningly familiar voice said as she felt a presence before her. "Take care of them."_

_The shadow lightly brushed its lips against hers and all was black._

-0-

Sakura awoke with a start, knocking off the rat that was resting on her stomach. It gave a hiss, and scurried off to find a more comfortable resting spot. She looked around, trying to steady herself. The church was unfamiliar, though, and brought no stability. She got up off the pew and wandered outside, relishing in the cold air. People were sleeping in the middle of the roads, their only warmth from the small fire nearby. She took deep breaths, gulping in the night air.

It was just a dream. She chanted it over and over in her mind. She couldn't convince herself, though, because she had remembered every detail about it. She rarely remembers her dreams, let alone every single aspect of it. It disturbed her so much she had to wrap her arms around herself to keep from shaking. She felt a wave of nausea come on and fell to her knees. She lifted her head slightly, trying to fight off the queasiness, and looked at the flickering shadows of the small fire providing warmth to a young girl. Never had she thought that a trivial thing such as shadows would perturb her so much.

She was foolish to fall asleep while raging demons were in her mind. She should have known that once she fell into her subconscious, they would be released to haunt her dreams. She fell back on her rear, trying to sort out all of her thoughts. It was clear that the recent event had caused these nightmares. What she had to do was accept this event. She had to accept she had tortured and killed someone. What scared her the most, though, was that she'd most likely had to do it again. She didn't realize how many responsibilities she had taken on by becoming Ibiki's successor. She didn't even have a choice.

Sakura knew she was too kind-hearted. In her teenage years, she was only concerned about herself. After she met Naruto, however, and saw how passionate and determined he was to protect the ones he loved, she soon followed suit. It's difficult to see Naruto as a role model at most times, but he was a true inspiration. She knew in this way she became empathetic towards others and soon took up the medical practice so that she may be able to help those in need. Along with that came the muscle power to protect those in need, too. She utilized her healing powers more than her inhuman strength. She was the healer of the team, not the fighter.

Then she became a jonin, and she had individual missions. Now she had to utilize both her healing hands and fighting ones. She was never really cut out for battle. In the academy, they taught the girls feminine things more than how to command a battlefield; that was left to the men. So when the time came, her first mission with Shizune, she lost her closest friend. Afterward, she trained harder and harder, determined to hone her skills. She soon learned, however, that if she was to kill someone, it was best not to get emotions involved. That's probably why most shinobi have a cold demeanor; it makes it easier to kill.

In the ninja academy, they don't teach you how to handle murder. No, you're already supposed to know how to deal with it even though you're so young. They only teach you _how _to fight, _where _to fight, and _when _to fight. They leave out the parts such as 'you'll probably have the deaths on your conscience, but they're your enemies, so have no pity'. The instructors forget that they're all human, and no matter what, you can't destroy your conscience.

That brings Sakura back to her first torture. It's worse than killing someone quickly, hoping that they don't feel much pain, in spite of the fact that they're enemies. The cold, hard fact is that they're all humans. They all feel pain, happiness, and grief. They all have a soul, just like her. Sakura can't handle killing someone who is just like her, despite their trivial differences. So much, in fact, that she wanted to hide, forever tucked away in the darkness, safe and secure. Demons and nightmares rise from the dark though, so there will be the time when she will have to step out into the light. Realizing that there are things one most do, though, is enduring the sun.

Besides, she's growing tired of the shadows. The dream was almost too frightening to bear. She didn't understand what any of it meant. Why were there shadows everywhere? Who was that in Itachi's cell? Why was Konoha burning? What was that barren place with all of the skeletons? There was only one thing she was certain of. The dream was somehow connected to Itachi. For some reason, it was him she was calling out to. It was him who spoke to her in the dream, told her that she could have prevented her home from burning, telling her to take care of the skeletons, kissing her with ethereal lips.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up, walked into the sanctuary, tapped the weary jonin who was watching the church with a sleepy eye, and took over.

-0-

**(A/N) I should start naming my chapters after songs and inserting them in place of quotes. Easy and convenient. If only T.S. Eliot was a songwriter…**

**I know you're all pissed that Sakura and Itachi weren't reunited, but I promise you they will be in the next chapter. This was a very necessary chapter. Hey, I added a lot of mystery, so be thankful for new reasons to claw at your scalp in frustration. I'm just guessing that they have churches and bibles. Since there is no exact date for the series, I'm just assuming. It **_**is **_**fantasy, after all.**

**Naruto: Ooh, ooh!**

**What is it, Naruto? If you have to go to the bathroom, you can go yourself.**

**Naruto: It's not that. Well, I do have to go to the bathroom…But that's not the point!**

**Then what is?**

**Naruto: I know what that burn mark that Sakura found was!**

**W-what? Who let you into my secret files?! Those documents are spoilers and for my eyes only, you hear! It's especially off-limits to those who are participating in this story!**

**Naruto: Just hear me out! Aliens landed on Earth and are disguising themselves as missing-nin and killing all the shinobi. That burn mark is from their spaceship! Oh, and that piece of cloth is a bib for when they eat the flesh of humans!**

**What are you smoking, Naruto? Well, at least you didn't look at my papers…**

**Naruto: Oh, I did. I just changed them because I though they were wrong. It was all about how Itachi is-**

**Say one more word and I confiscate your ramen!**

**Naruto: Okay, okay.**

**I have to go and fix my plans, and then go kill this idiot. Review for Naruto's ramen!**

**Naruto: Nooo!**


	7. Not So Different

**(A/N) I didn't get this up as soon as I wanted to so I apologize. I've been busy what with parties, swimming, and visiting family members. I can't guarantee that I'll update sooner because the next chapters are really important and I have to get them just right. There's a lot of planning involved with this story, so I hope you can understand if I don't update as soon as I would like to. I'm just concerned with making the best possible story.**

**I'd like to take a moment to thank all of my lovely reviewers. I'd like to write all of you in this author's note but I'm afraid I might forget one of you. But you all know your reviews are appreciated!**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto so don't break out the law suits.**

**Mikadzuki**

**Not That Different**

_"I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too, So we're really not that different, me and you."-Colin Raye_

-0-

It was comfortable there in the still darkness, the sallow light of a torch chasing away the shadows. Sakura felt so at ease walking into the cell that held what Konoha fears and despises. A mix of relief and security consumed her.

_'Security,' _she scoffed in her head. _'I've gone insane. This is the place where I should feel the least secure.'_

And yet she couldn't fight the overwhelming sense of balance here. In the past few months, this cell has been her constant. Out of everything that changed around her -becoming an interrogator to Sasuke's sudden return and execution- the one thing that had remained was Itachi. However, this constant was unreliable. He could escape any time he wanted to. Of course, it might be a bit difficult what with the ANBU guarding him. Still, all he has to do is remove the shackles.

_'Just please, don't let it be soon…' _she thought. Because in spite of herself and everything she stood for, she needed Itachi. He was her stability. So when she saw his outline in the darkness, she felt relieved, even though it was a sin.

At her entrance, he raised his head, black tresses falling around his haunting features, covering his eyes. His face, eternally passive, no longer frightened her (if it weren't for the eyes, that is).

"I brought a chair," she said, lifting up the stool. It wasn't the most comfortable seat, but it was better than sitting on the ground.

"You look haggard," Itachi stated, as if he hadn't heard her earlier comment.

Usually she would snap at him for stating the obvious. However, she was too tired and much too relieved to even become the slightest bit frustrated.

"You would too if you had insomnia," she said, setting the chair down and sitting on it.

"You've managed to acquire insomnia in your short absence?"

Why must he ask her about her 'absence'? She'd rather have him back to his old quiet and obstinate self. Any mention of her mission might send her over the edge. One word can breach her defenses and cause her resolve to come tumbling down. He noticed that she clenched her eyes closed as if it could will the darkness of her mind away.

"You're very inquisitive," she stated, remembering what he said before she had left for the mission. A question for a question. She wondered if that was why he was asking. "I've been through a lot during my…time away."

She bit her lip as she said that, willing her recent memories to go away. They came gnawing at the edges of her mind, trying to escape their confines. Quite like Itachi, she had put them in shackles.

"Such as?" Itachi asked, knowing what he was doing. He was slowly tearing down her resolve.

_'Stop prying,' _she wanted to say. _'These wounds are all too recent and you're only pouring salt into them.'_

"Such as torturing and killing a woman, visiting a poverty-ridden land, and having nightmares about my village burning to the ground," she found herself saying.

They were silent for a while as Sakura tried to fight back her swelling emotions. She bit her lip and clutched at her chest. _'No,' _she chanted over and over in her mind. _'I will not let them take control!' _How could one simple torture bring back all of these things (the death of her parents, the death of Shizune, the death of Sasuke, the death of Ibiki)? How could only brief mentions of her mission bring this much anguish?

Her pain was apparent and she wished she could just melt into water and absorb into the ground beneath her feet. Her chest was tight, squeezing her heart until it felt as if it could burst. This was the effect of ignoring all of her troubles and worries and locking them up, trying to forget them as if they were only figments. This was from hiding within her shadows only to bring forth the ones that haunted the crevices of her struggling mind. She knew, though, that if she released them they would overwhelm her. There was nothing she could do.

"Cry," she heard Itachi say. But his voice was faraway, one of the realities of this world she could not face. No, this was too much.

"What will crying accomplish?" she choked out. "They'll only make me feel more worthless."

"It's a natural, albeit temporary, release," he replied.

His words were true, and she knew it, but she promised herself when she cut her hair and the ribbon of her past guilt attached to it that she would never cry again. She would be the strong one, she would be the shoulder to cry on, and she would be dependable. She no longer wanted to be the weak little girl who always had to be saved. Tears represented weakness. Shinobi didn't cry for it made them human and they weren't supposed to be human. They were supposed to be warriors who took their orders without question, killed without remorse, and lived without emotion.

"I'm not going to cry!" she growled. "I've exchanged my tears for strength. I'm not the one who cries anymore."

"Then how will you destroy your demons?" Itachi asked. "Or rather, how will you accept them?"

She heard him release the shackles, get up, and walk over to her. Her arms were wrapped around herself as if they were enough to hold her being together. He lifted her chin up and she looked into his dark eyes.

"You can see a person's soul in their eyes," he said. "Do you see mine?"

She tried to look away from those eyes, not wanting to see them so close for she was afraid of what they held. His grip on her chin was strong, though, and she was forced to look into his soul. And what a dark one it was. She could see the struggle in his eyes, the years of pain he'd endured, the things he had seen. The past soaked in blood, the forever tainted spirit, the warped ways of a shinobi. This was the soul of a fallen human, of a tortured heart, and his eyes told its story like a tape forever recording.

"Do you want these to be your eyes? This soul to be yours?"

She didn't reply for now the tears came. They came out in a deluge, curving down her face, turning it red. All of the years holding them in, and now they came out like a tumultuous river flooding its banks. For each tear, another demon came to the surface. Each streak down her face was a journey she had taken. This is the way tears work. They come on, bringing your tortured thoughts with them, and each time another one spills over, you remember all too well why you're crying in the first place, and proceed to weep harder. This is the way everything is brought to the surface; through tears. Her demons weren't going to be washed away by them, though. No, they would cling to her psyche, unrelenting and inexorable. But now that they were on the surface, she can focus more clearly on them.

All the while, Itachi watched her, learning about her own tortured soul. Her spirit had been shattered, her innocence taken away by the life of a shinobi. She was a girl who was forced to learn things no child should know, to be something no child should be. They were so alike and yet so different. Hr eyes were well on their way to becoming like his. All she needed was a little more blood, hate, fear, and a shattered world. On opposite sides of the battlefields, they both had their internal conflicts, yet it was the decisions they made that placed them on these opposing theatres of war.

_'We're not so different, my dear interrogator,' _he thought, his eyes darkening. _'We're both only puppets, performing on a stage drenched in blood. But our strings will eventually be severed by those who will it, and where will be then?'_

Sakura's breathing began to slow and she felt a pain in her throat from all of the racking sobs. Not only that, she fell exhausted and empty. This emptiness was a good feeling, though. It was better than the demons she couldn't conjure up at that moment. She didn't even care that she let her guard down once again in front of the one she was supposed to be interrogating, the one who was her constant in this hellish world.

"I guess…I needed that," she said in a shaky breath.

"You've had glimpse into my soul," Itachi said, once again ignoring whatever she said. "What did you see?"

"Too much," she replied, her arms still around her body. "But I learned something. Our souls are the same. We both have our struggles and our demons. And I learned the one thing I should not know about my prisoner."

"What's that?"

"You're human."

Sakura didn't have to explain this for Itachi already knew what she meant. She'd prefer to think of him as a demon, as evil. But he was just like any other enemy she fought, only much more dangerous. He had a soul, even if it was tainted, as did she. But she'd prefer not to think of her prisoners as being like her; it just made interrogating and torturing them that much harder.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did you tell me to cry?"

"I couldn't ask my question if you were struggling with yourself," he said.

"And what question may that be?"

She braced herself for whatever was coming. She didn't know what Itachi would ask; he's more unpredictable than a twister. Whatever it was, though, she'd have to answer it if she was going to ask her questions.

"Where did you go?"

The question was innocent enough, and that was good. "Amegakure. My turn. Do you know any criminal organizations other than Akatsuki that would attack shinobi along Ame's borders?"

Itachi studied her for a while. He did not answer, but that wasn't entirely unexpected. What _was _unexpected was the quick flash of emotion that crossed his eyes. Anyone else would have missed it but she had been with him for too long and had just stared into them. She knew those eyes too well now and was able to catch the emotion before it was completely gone. It was anger.

"So you do know something," Sakura said carefully, not sure.

Another momentary pause filled the deafening silence of the cell. The only thing that could be heard was the steady stream of fire emitting from the torch on the wall that gave only a little light to the chamber. The corners of the cage were consumed in darkness that battled against the light from the torch. The barrier between the two constantly changed as the flame flickered, sometimes illuminating more or less than usual. She couldn't help but think how they were like the shadows that constantly fought against the edges of her mind. She abandoned that thought, though, for she was too numb.

"Yes, I do," Itachi finally replied. "But first, I have another question. You said you interrogated a woman. What was her name?"

A wave of guilt washed over her as she remembered she hadn't even known the missing-nin's name. "I don't know, but she had dark green eyes and blonde hair."

That seemed to be all he needed to know for Itachi said," The group, or rather its leader, has animosity towards Konoha."

"Do you know who the leader is?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

"I'm afraid not," he replied, but she could tell he knew more. It was beginning to seem this compromise was a one-way street. "I have another question. What are your fears?"

The question threw Sakura off guard. "What kind of question is that?"

She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell a missing-nin who possessed the Sharingan her fears. But she already had revealed so much more to him.

"It's a question I want an answer to," he replied.

She guessed it couldn't hurt. At least, for now. "I fear what any human would. Death, spiders, clowns…" She bit her lip and hesitated before she continued. "Being alone."

"Not every human fears those things," Itachi said. "But why do you fear being alone?"

"For one thing, I've never been alone. When I was a child, I had my friends and parents. Even though I've lost my parents and some friends, I've gained new ones. And…I see what loneliness does to a person. Naruto had to deal with it his whole life. The unimaginable pain and suffering he went through must have been unbearable. Sasuke, too." She looked at Itachi. "After you killed the clan, he was alone. Now look what's happened. He's dead." An unexpected pain clenched her heart. She had gotten over Sasuke, but his name opened the wound in her heart a bit because he was a death that l. She shook her head and continued her questions. "What is this organization after?"

"What every missing-nin organization is after," Itachi said. At her questioning look, he said," Power. Revenge. Something more than what they have."

"And they want power over Konoha? Revenge?"

"You've already asked a question," Itachi stated. "It's my turn. Tell me about your family."

"That's more of a statement," she muttered, but he was looking at her with those cold eyes and she hesitated. "They're all geniuses. They are the strategists in Konoha's operations in war. They're like advisors to the Hokage other than Homura and Koharu. However, my parents strayed from that. They became jonin and were killed on a mission. I, of course, had to follow in their tracks to the disdain of my family. I don't keep in touch with them anymore ever since…"

Ever since what? She became a jonin? Shizune was killed? When had she stopped speaking with them? She realized she never paid much mind to her family. When she was younger, she loved her parents, but now that they were dead her family was inconsequential. She felt guilty, though, that both Sasuke and Naruto didn't have families and she didn't even care much for hers. Of course, they weren't very close-knit. Harunos are analytical, not emotional. They didn't care much for bonds unless they were between other countries. Family didn't matter to them so it didn't matter to her. Only her parents had mattered to her.

And it was fine that way. She never felt they were negligent or heartless, she was happy with her parents. She was old enough to be on her own when she lost her parents so there was no point and trying to tie bonds that never existed in the first place.

She wanted to ask Itachi about his family, but she felt as if she'd be crossing a line. It's taboo to her; he did the unspeakable, murdering his family. So why would they matter to him and why should she ask him?

"You're wondering about my family," Itachi said. It wasn't a question and she felt as if he probed her mind.

She nodded mutely.

"I wasn't very close to them in the first place," he said, his face like stone once again.

In a quiet voice she asked," Did that make it easier to…"

"No," he answered, knowing what she meant.

"Just for the record, I don't believe your entire 'I did it for Sasuke' alibi," she said. "Well, maybe only one part."

"And what part would that be?" he asked almost disinterestedly.

"The part that you did it for Sasuke," she said. "But not to protect from the pressures of being in a prosperous clan. Maybe from the clan itself. I don't know. What I do know, however, is that I saw something in your eyes. You're human just like I am and no matter what, they were family and it wasn't out of hate you murdered them."

There was a silence as the two were absorb in their own separate thoughts. Sakura believed this theory. Even though it drove Sasuke to his death, Itachi killed the clan not because he hated them or his brother, but because he wanted to protect Sasuke. She would have disregarded this theory had she not look into those eyes. Everything about them just seems to haunt her. The eyes are the window of the soul, and even though his window was shattered and dark, it was still a window. And no one with a soul could murder their family without remorse.

"My question," she said in a tiny voice. "Do you think Konoha is in danger?"

Itachi looked at her for a long time, examining her carefully. He watched her pale-green eyes cloud with worry at the silence. He needed to gauge her reaction when he answered her.

"It's in far more danger than you can comprehend."

-0-

Sakura walked up to the Hokage's desk with a pile of papers in her hands. Surprisingly, the desk wasn't covered with sake bottles and mounds of papers. Actually, it was fairly clean without even a speck of dust. She handed the woman her papers which were her report of the mission to Amegakure. She had stayed up late last night in order to complete it and to perfection. Tsunade grabbed the sheets gruffly.

"So, you're sober?" Sakura asked, noting the desk and her crankiness.

"No, I'm pissed," Tsunade growled. "That damned Shikamaru better give me back my sake or his head will be mounted on my wall."

She had to remember to warn Shikamaru of his impending death. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Watching over Kakashi," Tsunade replied, skimming through the papers.

Sakura remembered her shishou telling her about his injuries. It made her stomach coil around her other organs and squeeze them until she could barely stand. How could he have been injured like that? The missing-nin he fought must have been on a higher level than the one she had killed.

"How's he doing?" she asked, looking at the floor and studying it.

"Better," Tsunade replied. "How was your interrogation with Uchiha?"

"Odd."

Tsunade peered up from her papers. "How so?"

She wanted to skip the embarrassing part about her breaking down. She also wanted to skip the part about what she had told him about her fears, family, and her theory about the Uchiha massacre. Instead she told her about the questions she had asked and Itachi's answers to them.

"He's probably just saying that to make you panic," Tsunade said after Sakura told her about the last thing Itachi told her before she left with a new demon to haunt her mind. As she said it, though, there was a hint of worry in her voice.

"I don't know," Sakura said uncertainly. "I mean, what about all of those missing-nin uprisings? Maybe Konoha is in danger."

"Well, you're dismissed for now," the Hokage said. "Go get some rest."

Sakura nodded and walked out of the room. The Hokage leaned back into her chair and sighed. She knew how imperative this situation was and didn't want to make another mistake. She had increased border control, but would that be enough to keep her village safe? She sent out ninja, but half of them were killed. She called in an ANBU and told him to gather all of the Niju Shotai and have them meet her. The ANBU nodded and left. Only minutes later, she was standing before the special troops she had created, and might now destroy.

"I'll get straight to the point," she said. "We're reassigning the Niju Shotai's objective. Instead of the Akatsuki, you will now be targeting the missing-nin along the borders. Each squad will be assigned a different mission."

"What about the Akatsuki?" an operative asked. "Just because the missing-nin have become more rowdy doesn't mean the Akatsuki have disappeared."

"ANBU will take over with that," Tsunade said. "That's all for today."

And with those words, she sealed Konoha's fate.

-0-

"Itachi, you aren't sleeping, now are you?"

A humorless laugh filled up the room, yet it was not loud enough for the guard to hear. It was nighttime, yet the moon did not shine in the eternally dark cell and no crickets could be heard through the thick walls.

"Tasukete," Itachi said silently as to not disturb the dust that encased his cell. "To what to I owe this displeasure?"

A grimace was set on the man's face at Itachi's words. Tasukete did not fear this man, but hated him with the most animosity he could muster. Maybe even a touch of envy, but he would never allow himself to admit that even if he was trapped in a cage like his rival. "You're taking too long."

"Taking too long at what?" he asked with disinterest.

He ground out," you know what, don't play games with me."

"Who sent you?" Itachi asked.

"Does it matter-"

"If you came here on your own accord, then I have no reason to speak to you," he said. "Good night, Tasukete."

The man growled and grabbed the front of Itachi's dingy shirt. "I am not afraid of you. I know that they are taking your chakra and I know you're nothing without it."

Itachi removed Tasukete's hand from his shirt, and twisted his arm. "I am growing tired of you. I know why you are here and I know if word gets back that you're here, you'll be severely punished. You take his trust for granted."

He released Tasukete's arm as if it was an afterthought, and closed his eyes, knowing the man wouldn't dare attack.

"You're too audacious," Tasukete hissed. "One of these days, Itachi, you will be killed by _my _hands."

"I forever wait for that day," Itachi replied as Tasukete faded into the darkness.

They both knew that he'd be back soon.

-0-

**(A/N) In the last part I misspelled 'cage' and it came out as 'café' so it came out as '…even if he was trapped in a café…'. I found that hilarious. Instead of Trapped in a Closet by R. Kelly it's Trapped in a Café by Tasukete. Wow, that rhymes. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (which includes Sakura's breakdown and a cameo by Tasukete, the OC from the first chapter in this story if you can remember that far back).**

**I wonder why Itachi is asking those kinds of questions. They're almost as bad as Sakura's old ones. It makes me wonder…**

**Naruto: You wrote it down. He's asking those questions because-**

**What did I say, idiot?**

**Naruto: Oh, right. Confiscate ramen.**

**So, your review prize will be…um…pocky! That's all I have right now since I went out and bought three bags of it (along with Yan Yan). So, pocky and Yan Yan!**

**Itachi: You're getting desperate.**


	8. Our Path

**(A/N) Since everyone has songs that they listened to when they read the last chapter I will tell you the songs I was listening to when I wrote it. The songs are: Cold (but I'm still here) and Painted by Evans Blue. If you can't tell, I love Evans Blue and their songs really suit this story. So, I'm writing this story while listening to Evans Blue.**

**Anyway, right after I posted the last chapter, I began working on this one and got it typed up in two days. I'm so proud! Anyway, it's a long chapter (that means it took longer to edit) so I hope you enjoy it, my luvurly readers!**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto.**

**Mikadzuki**

**Our Path**

'_Our way is not soft grass, it's a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upward, forward, toward the sun.'-Ruth Westheimer_

-0-

All was silent as Sakura Haruno sat in her kitchen, hunched over copious heaps of papers. Sheets were scattered about the table until the brown of the wood was no longer visible. She was thankful that the early morning creatures had respect for her research. It seemed they had quieted right as she opened the off-white files that held what she never thought she would have to lay eyes on. Her pink hair was pulled pack from her face in a tight ponytail as the breeze from a small fan caressed her overheated face and caused a number of the papers to float away. The weather was becoming unbearably hot and she was just about ready to chuck the fan through her window even though it was the one thing giving her some relief. Thoughts of a cool, underground cell swam into her overworked mind, taunting her.

_'No,' _she commanded herself. _'I can't think of him.'_

No matter how hard she tried to discipline her mind, though, thoughts of the captive Itachi buzzed around in her mind; a nuisance when trying to read over important materials she would soon have to dictate. Only a small desk lamp lit the papers scattered on the ancient table. They were from Ibiki Morino's files and contained reports of all the suspects he had ever interrogated. She started with the earliest and couldn't help but notice how much his prose had changed over his years as an interrogator. In the beginning, his strokes were tense and rigid; some papers were even soaked with tears. There wasn't much detail in those reports, and when there was, the handwriting became even tenser. Somewhere along the line, however, the strokes of his lines were less tense and forced and the details became even more explicit to the point where it became akin to a horror novel.

Sakura couldn't help but wonder what had brought on such a change. It was clear he became more at ease with his work, more comfortable with cataloging the maiming of prisoners. How could she become more at ease with something like this? This was _torture_. She tried to push down the sickening thought that she would have to do what she did to that woman on a daily basis and on a much more severe level. Not all prisoners will just give up like the missing-nin had; she didn't want to imagine what she would have to do to _them_.

_'How did you get yourself involved with this, Ibiki?' _she asked in her mind, hoping -wherever he was- he would hear her. _'It's clear you weren't always as callous and coldhearted as I remember. So why did you become a torture and interrogation specialist?'_

A voice in her head told her she must not dwell on a dead man's intentions. Sighing, she got up and walked over to the refrigerator. She had just placed her fingers on the handle when she heard her front door open and close. At first, she suspected it was a robber, but then she remembered they wouldn't be dumb enough to walk right in through the front door. Still, she grabbed a kunai from her holster and walked into the living room. Shikimaru stood there, looking around lackadaisically at her plain apartment.

"Have you been using a window for so long you forgot how to knock?" she asked, putting her kunai back in its holster.

"Nice," he said mordantly, scanning her appearance which consisted of chest bindings, shorts, and matted hair that had lines where her fingers ran through it.

"Why are you here?" she asked, resisting the compulsion to roll her eyes.

Right now, she had no concern for modesty. It was two hundred degrees above the tolerable temperature and she was studying Ibiki's macabre tales of his adventures through interrogation and torture. Besides, she'd known Shikamaru for a long time and was pretty sure he saw a female before.

"The Hokage would like to see you," he replied.

"What could she want at four in the morning?"

Shikamaru only shrugged in response.

Sakura was tempted to roll her eyes in vexation yet again. After changing into something more appropriate, she obediently followed him to the Hokage's office. When she entered the room, the woman was in her usual slumbering state. She had gotten her sake back and in her sleep she wore a triumphant smirk. Sakura realized she had forgotten to warn Shikamaru about her threat and it seemed she had coerced him into returning her treasures. Sakura grabbed one of the bottles that littered her desk and Tsunade woke up with a start, seizing the alcohol.

"Sakura, sit down," the Hokage said, adjusting herself in her chair.

It was then, as she took a seat, she noticed that the two advisors, Homura and Koharu, were in the room, along with the nomad Jiraiya.

"So, you've taken a break from your 'research' to pay a visit," she said to him.

He smiled wolfishly. "I've heard you've been doing some research yourself."

A shadow fell across her eyes as she responded," I have."

"What have you learned so far?" he inquired.

"Do you really want to know?" she challenged.

"Enough," Homura said sternly. "We are not here to discuss research. We are here to discuss Miss Haruno's future."

"That's right," Tsunade bolstered. "You already know you will be taking over Ibiki Morino's position. There is another position, however, that we would like you to consider."

Ignoring her mentor's use of 'we', she asked," And what that may be?"

There was no need to query, though. Deep down, in some subconscious part of her mind, she already knew.

"ANBU." Sakura was about to object but Tsunade cut her off," It's not necessary in order to be head of torture and interrogation, but we are asking you to at least consider it. I'm sure you're well aware of this but you have excelled exponentially in the past seven years. I know you have a lot on your plate-"

"That's right, I do," Sakura interrupted curtly. She didn't care that she was showing insolence to her superiors. "I don't think-"

"Listen, you were able to keep your platoon alive when Kakashi's platoon had been killed and he had almost died himself," Jiraiya interposed. "You have a brilliant mind and incredible strength. I know you've gotten rusty, what with having to interrogate Itachi and all that, but there are a few weeks left until the exams-"

"Trust me, I'm basking in your compliments," Sakura said dryly. "But the cold hard facts are that I'm not cut out to be ANBU and I don't want to be one."

No one had cut in that time. There were no more interjected opinions.

"All I'm asking is for you to think about it," Tsunade said stiffly. "You know that we're short on ANBU."

She grimaced at her choice of words. Saying 'short on' made it seem as if she was speaking of inventory and not human beings. All the same, she was right. Ever since the drafts, there've been less ANBU operatives to work out of Konoha. Her conscience told her she should do this for her village, but her heart told her this was too much. If anything, she needed a break from all this. Her eyes sent Tsunade a silent message.

"Please allow me to speak with Sakura alone," she told the others in the room, apparently having picked up the message.

They hesitantly left, wondering if they were going to have to make repairs to the office after the two 'spoke'.

"Shishou, please," she implored. "I can't do this right now."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. "Sakura, you _do _understand the situation I'm in," she said. "This is no time for leniency."

"I'm not asking for leniency," she said firmly. "I'm not asking for anything. I just don't want to be ANBU."

"Perhaps you don't understand how important you are," Tsunade said, standing up. "Follow me. We're going to fight."

-0-

"Tasukete, I am still struggling to understand why you went against my orders," the 'master' said.

The man flinched at his superior's voice. To anyone else, it would sound calm and composed. But he's known him for too long and can hear that undertone in his voice; he could detect the anger in his words.

"I apologize," he responded meekly.

The study has become a personal Hell for him. The walls were closing in, suffocating him, but he did not try to push against them. There was no point in fighting the inevitable.

"That does not explain why you disobeyed me," he said. "You went to Itachi when I strictly ordered you not to. And what for?"

Tasukete turned away, ashamed. He was brash and ignorant. He knew he would find out and went anyway. Now he would suffer severely for it.

"With all due respect," he murmured," I may have acted hastily, but Itachi has not acted at all."

"And you don't think there is a reason for it?" the master asked. "Unlike you, Itachi is being smart. He is taking his time. Rashness will get us nowhere. Until you realize that, I will leave you in Kawaki's care."

Tasukete bristled at the mention of the sadist's name. He may not fear Itachi, but he feared her. Sure, she wasn't as strong as the Uchiha but she had a certain quality about her. Death seemed to follow her like a fragrance. Her eyes were piercing and hungry, like a demon straight from the pits of Hell.

"I understand, master," he mumbled.

Yes, he was going to pay severely.

-0-

"Do you feel nostalgic?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura gave somewhat of a snort as she pulled on her black gloves. "I've never been here before."

She was fully dressed now, her hair plaited and pinned. She wore black shorts and a red shirt with her unzipped green vest; the simplest of battle wear. On the insides of her arms were sheaths for daggers, on her leg was her shuriken holster that also held explosive tags, and around her waist was a pouch for kunai. In her mind were the strategies and the jutsu that would assist her in this battle.

The moonlight shone through the clearing which served as a training field. This field, however, was peculiar. In the shade of dawn, she could see a lake which was probably filled with the blades of past warriors who have fought there and discarded their weapons. There was something about it that seemed off, though, and when she walked over to it she saw -with horrifying clarity- what it was. The lake was filled with blood. The smell overwhelmed her, and she swallowed a wave of nausea. She stepped away from the sight, in the process stepping on something. When she looked down she saw small flowers that bloomed in a deep, crimson red; the color of blood.

"But doesn't it feel nostalgic to be on the battle grounds again?" her master asked, unaware of her student's discomfort. "Even if this one has such a blood-soaked history. This was where the bodies of executed prisoners are dumped. Their bones lay at the bottom of the lake and their blood has replaced the water. This is also where a mass suicide occurred."

Sakura jolted at her words. "What?"

"It was thirty years ago. Just a normal day, if I recall correctly. This ground was being used for one of the ANBU teams to practice and get some training in before an important mission. When they left, however, a new group arrived. Twenty one shinobi came here and took a kunai to their throat."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"It was because they lost too much in their lives as warriors. They couldn't handle it and took their own lives. It stayed a dark secret in the village's past. Nobody acknowledged it; no one spoke of it. The bodies were thrown in the lake instead of having a burial, but there is a memorial stone for them. So, along with the prisoners, the bodies of forty shinobi lay on the bottom of this tarn."

"Why did you bring me here?" Sakura asked, now perturbed by this gory history.

"To show you what it means to be a shinobi. To show you that just because it's a bloody road," she nodded to the red flowers," doesn't mean nothing can bloom."

They began with their signature move, simultaneously striking the ground and causing it to fissure. As the chunks of earth rose into the sky, splotches of dark brown could be seen on the rocks; the blood of fallen shinobi. Spying a perfect piece of terrain, Sakura sent a kick to it. Her perfect control did not allow it to break but to be hurtled in the direction she commanded. Tsunade easily destroyed the hunk of land with the tip of her finger, smiling like a fox about to prey on a rabbit. Earth still floated in the sky like bubbles that will never explode and Sakura used the masses as stepping stones to reach her mentor. It was dangerous because the woman was skilled in close-combat with her Ranshinshō, so she created a clone.

Without sending chakra into her fists, she aimed a punch to Tsunade's face. The Hokage was shrewd, and -with a knowing smirk- grabbed her fist, sending chakra out through her fingers. The clone died into a log under her touch. The rocks had settled and dirt was strewn everywhere, covering the field like a fog. Tsunade noted that this was good cover; who needed smoke bombs when you had your surroundings? Terrain is a ninja's best weapon and defense, and Sakura knew it well. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a tug on her legs and was pulled down into the rubble as it hardened into compacted earth.

Tsunade grinned and turned into a slug as Sakura shot out of the ground. The Hokage was swift and materialized behind her, sending a kick to her back. As she struggled to breathe, she jumped away from Tsunade while trying to retain her lung capacity. Said woman lifted her foot and slammed it into the shattered earth, causing a fissure to head towards her. She avoided the uprooted ground hastily, twisting her ankle in the process. Using this to her advantage, Tsunade hid among the airborne earth and darted towards the injured girl. She struck her in the stomach with a fist only to find it was another substitute.

_'Always thinking one step ahead.' _She would have been proud at any other moment, but right now she was her opponent.

The ground settled once again and Tsunade scanned the area vigilantly. Sakura was nowhere in sight, hidden among the wreckage they had created. There was an abnormal shuffle of leaves among the trees and Tsunade aimed a kunai at it, still watching the other areas. There was a popping noise as the weapon hit a clone but there was no counter-attack. Another shifting of leaves, this time in another tree, made her shake her head disapprovingly.

_'I'm not falling for that,'_ Tsunade thought.

She continued to examine the area until a sharp pain erupted in her arm. She pulled the kunai that had embedded itself in her skin out and threw it at the tree it came from, but it only hit a branch.

"Are you going to keep playing these games, Sakura?" she called aloud, trying to inveigle her student.

The foliage shifted as if the trees had shuddered. Tsunade could tell it was a shadow clone technique, but knew she couldn't be too careful. She needed to use a widespread attack and decided on one the Uchihas had perfected. Forming a few hand signs and lifting her fingers to her mouth, she breathed. Orbs of fire emitted from her lips, illuminating the sky. As she spun, she burned the trees that encircled the training grounds. She was being reckless, but she had to catch Sakura off guard and make sure she couldn't hide anymore. There was a flash of pink in surrounding orange and Tsunade threw her shuriken. She heard a small cry as it hit its mark.

Sakura had been trying to escape from the fire, not caring to make a substitute. The shadow clones had exerted a lot of her chakra and she didn't have the time or strength to make more. Fighting through the pain that erupted in her body, she swiftly jumped from the burning trees, pumping chakra into her fist and aiming it at Tsunade. She expected it to be blocked, but instead there was an exploding sound as a slug appeared from wraithlike mist.

Uttering a few swears, she scrutinized the area, her eyes inured to the darkness from many days in Itachi's cell. There were no movements, only the disquieting hush of shadows and trees. The peace was shattered as several balls of acid came flying at her. She dodged most of them, but one of the spheres grazed her arm, causing the flesh to burn. She looked through the trees and saw a large area disrupted by blue and white, the colors that belonged to Katsuyu, Tsunade's giant slug. She wondered, though, how she could have summoned such a large creature without making as much as a sound.

_'I guess now's a good a time as ever,' _she thought, biting her thumb.

Making several hand signs, she placed her palm on the ruptured earth as symbols spread out across the land. There was a jarring explosion as white mist swathed her like a blanket. When the haze cleared, she felt herself being lifted from the ground.

"Hello, Kouhi," Sakura said to the object she was standing on.

"Sakura," a smooth voice that was almost a whisper said. "It has been a while. As a matter of fact, this is only the second time you've summoned me."

The giant slug was purple and white and larger than the tallest building in Konoha. Just like her name suggested, she expected to be respected and adored; the slug acted just like a queen. She only summoned this beast once and that was when she first learned the technique from Tsunade, only a few weeks before she started interrogating Itachi.

"Well, now I need you," Sakura said. Reluctantly, she added," Katsuyu is my opponent."

"You want me to fight my sister?" Kouhi asked, her voice like water sliding down a window; slow and steady.

"It's only training," she assured the slug.

"Humans," the creature muttered, but she puffed her chest and spit out a ball of water.

Katsuyu used the Daibunretsu and divided into a million tiny slugs, evading the attack. They conjoined once more and in that instant, another burst of water was sent her way. The other slug was quick, and once again separated as the sphere of water continued to fly without an objective.

"It's no use," Kouhi said. "As long as she keeps dividing, I cannot defeat her."

"Then we have to stop her from separating," Sakura said. "Use Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

The slug obeyed and puffed out her chest again. This time, a burst of flame the color of the rising sun came out of her large mouth. Katsuyu divided herself but was scorched by the vast fire. She shriveled up and disappeared in steam. Sakura couldn't see Tsunade, but the woman was bound to be exhausted by using up so much chakra as was she. However, neither of them would surrender; their pride as warriors wouldn't allow it.

"I'll take care of this myself," Sakura said, patting Kouhi's head.

"As you say," the slug said as she, too, disappeared in fog.

Sakura descended to earth and when she touched the ground, she felt the force of Tsunade's foot on her chest and was sent barreling through what was left of the blazing trees. She tasted blood on her lips as her back collided with the black bark, but she ignored it and withdrew a kunai while crouching low, ready to spring at a moment's notice. She had no clue where Tsunade was but both of them were drained and nearing their limit. She was in a bad situation, for if the Hokage caught her off guard, she'd be finished. She tried to pick up any hint of her master's chakra, but it was masked well. The woman could be anywhere and she was a sitting duck.

Sakura realized she was panicking and told herself to think about this rationally. There was no way to hide in the trees because the foliage had been scorched by Tsunade's attack. She could have used the Shinju Zanshu and hidden in the earth, but it would be stupid to use a jutsu she had already performed and she probably would have attacked by now. That only left one option.

The river.

It was a morbid thought that her sensei was hiding there and she _did _have Hemophobia, but she still had to consider it. The Hokage couldn't have held her breath for long, though, so she must have used a jutsu. Only one came to mind.

It was a long shot, but Sakura might have figured everything out. She walked over to the river and aimed her fist to the ground. The earth trembled and the water in the river sloshed in its basin, spurting upwards and falling back to earth. Bones could be seen as the red liquid thrashed about, an eerie sight in the light of the moon. Right on cue, she saw an orb that was out of place. She made hand symbols and performed Kayu Endan, one of the most powerful fire techniques, using up the last of her chakra. The water evaporated as the dragon's head made a beeline for the orb. When the dragon connected with the sphere, Tsunade jumped out and back onto land and her clones were destroyed.

"Very clever, using Suiro no Jutsu," Sakura said as the dragon faded. "You created two clones; one to perform the jutsu and the other to keep its arm inside the prison. It takes a very skilled shinobi to make a clone that can perform jutsu. But tell me, why didn't you attack? You could have stayed underwater for a long time if I didn't figure out you were there."

The bedraggled Hokage smirked, even though she was shaking like a leaf.

"It was a last resort," she said in between hard breaths. "I wanted you to give up and walk away."

Sakura snorted, also panting. "You know me better than that. I wouldn't run away."

Her mentor shrugged but her expression had changed. "Let's go back to the village. You'll have to interrogate Uchiha soon."

Sakura helped her leader up, wishing she had brought something to wipe the blood away. They walked through the destroyed training grounds, steadily healing their wounds. The sun was beginning to rise, illuminating the chaos that was once a training ground.

"I still don't understand why you had to bring me to such a gory place," Sakura said.

"You've been troubled ever since you got back from Ame," Tsunade said. "I wanted to remind you of your incentive for fighting. Suicide is the ultimate form of giving up. Those shinobi relinquished their lives because they couldn't handle being what they were. I don't want you to become one of them. Remember what I said about that bloody path?"

She nodded.

"Well, flowers still bloom on it, just like in this place. Love, hope, and dreams still blossom even though the road is tainted with blood. Do you know why? It's because of why we travel that path; why we fight. And as long as we remember our struggle, we can travel that path and reach what waits for us at the end of it."

"I fight to protect the ones I love," Sakura said, mostly to herself.

"Then no matter how bloody your path gets, the things you have to do and see, always remember that."

-0-

Sakura held back a titter as she saw the damage she caused to Itachi's cell. The training grounds were miles away, but the tremors had disrupted the packed earth and it had collapsed in on itself. The prison was in shambles, but luckily none of the captives had escaped, including Itachi.

"I'm assuming you're the one responsible for the tremors," Itachi said.

Sakura slumped into her chair. "Tsunade-shishou is to blame! Well, for most of them, anyway."

"You two were fighting?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Training," Sakura corrected. "But, basically, yes. And you just used your first question, so it's my turn."

She was going to test how far he was willing to go; what this agreement can endure.

"Where is the Akatsuki base?"

She was resulting to her earliest question; the one she used before she realized how much of a challenge Itachi was going to be. He watched her carefully before giving his answer. She noticed that this might become a pattern. He was an intense person, but the calculating way he examined her was odd.

"Amegakure."

Her heart practically stopped. Well, first it sputtered, skipped a few beats, and then stalled. _Amegakure_. She had been there only two days ago. To think she was that close to the Akatsuki, to the reason she was here in this cell. It gave her chills that went further than her bone; it went straight to her soul.

Before she could utter a word, Itachi asked," What brought on this change?"

That caught her off guard and she thought for a moment. "What change?"

"You've spent your days here and doing research," he replied, his eyes steadily reading hers. "I can tell you haven't trained in a while by how exhausted you look."

"This is the _Hokage _we're talking about," Sakura said. "I'd be a surprise if I wasn't exhausted. But, you're right. I haven't trained in a while and I'll soon regret it."

"Why?" Itachi asked.

"First, you have to answer my question," Sakura said, a feeling of dread rising up in her throat. "Where in Amegakure is the base?"

"Northwest, near the Earth country," Itachi said without skipping a beat, his face as placid as ever.

Her skin crawled as if Shino's bugs had made a home inside her own body. _She had been there_. She was so close to the base and yet knew nothing.

"I'll regret it," Sakura said quietly, answering Itachi's question," because I might become ANBU."

"Might?" he asked. "So you are not going to take the exam?"

Sakura looked up at the cracked ceiling, avoiding his piercing gaze. "I don't know. They're being very insistent, but…"

Tsunade trained with her given the ulterior motive that she wanted to remind her of why she fought. But she knew the real reason. The Hokage wanted to show that, even though she may be a bit rusty, she was still powerful. She -along with her advisors- wanted her to become an ANBU. But she can't become one. Not now.

She sighed and looked down at the floor, still avoiding his eyes. She hated this. He had a way of making her feel confused and helpless. It was as if he was taking a blade to her mind. She momentarily wondered if his goal was to mentally corrupt her. She had, after all, let her guard down in front of him many times. By now he knew the way she thought, felt, and behaved.

"My question," Sakura said, looking Itachi straight in the eye. She remembered he was an ANBU captain at the age of thirteen. It was right around the time he murdered the clan. "What was it like being an ANBU?"

If Itachi was surprised by her change of approach, he didn't show it.

"It was difficult," he replied. "You have much more responsibility on your shoulders and more to account for."

Sakura rested her elbows on her legs and propped her chin up with her hands, biting her lip. She already knew all that. Everything changes when you're in ANBU. You get assigned to a certain branch, perform difficult missions, and become a hermit. That wasn't what concerned her, though.

"Why aren't you sure you want to become ANBU?" Itachi asked, as if reading her mind.

"First of all, I'm interrogating you," she said. "Besides, I'm afraid that it'll all become worse if I make ANBU. I don't think I can handle any more demons in my mind or deaths on my conscience."

"Then you will not make it as a kunoichi, will you? Your mind will always be haunted by demons and deaths. It's how you handle them that matters."

"And how do you handle them?" she asked. "I know you have more than your fair share of demons."

"You've seen my face," he replied. "It's a mask, Sakura, and I've sustained it for many years. It helps me escape my demons, but it does not destroy them. I do not have an answer to your question."

Sakura looked at him, being reminded once more that he was human. She was tempted to ask him why he continues to wear a mask if he knows it's not the way to handle his demons, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Why are you so willing to betray information about the Akatsuki?" she asked instead.

He was so at ease answering her questions. It was like he didn't care that he was revealing this important information. She remembered a while back what a big deal he made out of loyalty.

"We had an agreement," he replied coolly, his mask never failing.

"Still…" she began, but didn't want to continue.

Something about this was wrong. She looked at Itachi, into his bottomless eyes and his pale mask. She will never know anything by looking at it. As her sensei once said, a ninja must look underneath the underneath; the truth of truths. So then, why can't she find anything underneath this? Even in his eyes, he betrayed nothing of his intentions.

"Itachi, you are one complicated man."

"How so?" he inquired.

She smiled, though there was no humor in it. "You're a paradox in the highest degree. You say you're loyal to the Akatsuki, and yet you give information about its whereabouts as if it was nothing. You can escape any time you want, but you remain here. Just what is it you want?"

"I believe it's my question," he said, easily evading her question. "Why did you become a ninja?"

Another one of his seemingly extraneous questions. She desperately wanted to know what was going inside his mind. She wanted him to answer her question.

"My parents sent me to the academy," she replied. "I really didn't have a reason until I met Naruto. He made me realize how important my friendships were. He grew up having no one and protects the friends he has managed to obtain with his life. He made me realize I was foolish to start a rivalry with my best friend over a boy and foolish to think of him as a nuisance and nothing more. Sasuke also helped me develop my reason. He's the one who showed me how easily bonds can be severed; how easily a friendship can be lost. It's funny that you asked me that. Tsunade-shishou just gave me a spiel about the path that I take; the path that all shinobi take."

"What did she say?"

"That no matter how bloody our path gets, we have to continue. She told me that flowers still bloom on it, and we must cherish them. Eventually, there will be something waiting for us at the end. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel."

"Are you sure there is such a thing?" Itachi asked. "There may not be a light at the end. Or perhaps you'll be forever in the darkness, groping around. Are you willing to pin your hopes on this 'light'."

"To tell you the truth, I really don't care much for whatever's at the end of my path. I've been taught to focus only on the present; fight my enemies and heal my patients."

"Isn't that a paradox in itself? You say that you only focus on the present, and yet you're consumed by the past."

"Just because I don't focus on it, doesn't mean it's not there. My question. Why aren't you asking about Konoha…or Naruto?"

"He is of no concern to me."

Sakura felt relief wrap around her heart. He was no longer a target. But why? Weren't the Akatsuki after the bijuu?

"And…I'm now of concern to you?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, you are," Itachi replied. "How did your parents die?"

The relief she felt around her heart was replaced by a darkness that she couldn't describe at both his reply and question.

"They were killed on a mission," she replied, her voice almost a growl. She didn't want to talk about that. "You know, you're very good at reopening wounds."

"You said your parents were jonin," he said, ignoring her comment. That was another thing he was good at. "Why did you become one if they were killed?"

"To prove my strength," she retorted. "Besides, the Hokage encouraged -or rather forced- me."

"So, the fact that your parents were killed didn't matter to you."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Of course it did. But it's my turn. How many Akatsuki are left?"

Itachi noticed how she quickly switched topics. She was uncomfortable with talking about her parents' deaths. It was understandable, of course.

"I don't know," he said.

She couldn't tell if he was lying or not. If there were a lot of operatives in the organization, then it could be possible he doesn't know them all. But there was that unshakable feeling that something wasn't right.

"What would you do if your friends you cared about so much betrayed you?"

The question was so sudden, she jerked back. His eyes were scrutinizing once again. She thought about it for a while.

"I don't know," she replied. "It depends on why."

"Does it matter why when they had taken your trust and deceived you? I believe the reason would be negligible."

"You're right," she said. "Why don't you tell me how you think I'd react?"

"I think you'd throw numerous items, break a few walls, but most importantly, you'd go after them."

"Well, it seems you know me well," she said, and couldn't help but feel scared by the thought. "Why do you think I'd go after them?"

"You said Sasuke showed you how easily bonds can be broken," he replied. "I would think you'd want to hold on to that bond."

"Right again," she muttered. "You're beginning to scare me."

An indescribable expression crossed his face for only a second. She was starting to pick up on these slight changes of character better. Even if she didn't know what he was feeling, she could tell he was at least feeling _something_. And that was definitely an improvement.

"Well, until next time, Itachi," Sakura said, looking at the watch she had put on before coming there.

She got up and turned to leave, but stood still.

"I know there's something you're not telling me," she said, not even facing him. "But believe me, I will find out what it is."

She walked out satisfied as Itachi's eyes bored into her back.

-0-

"I've got some important information," Sakura told her catatonic Hokage.

Even more paperwork than usual was piled up on her desk with Shikamaru holding another mound, straining to keep it balanced in his arms. Jiraiya was there, too, and she wondered why he was staying.

"What?" Tsunade asked grumpily.

"I've found out the location of Akatsuki's base of operations," she replied, a triumphant grin on her face.

Everyone in the room stilled. Even Jiraiya lifted his eyes from the perverted magazine he was 'reading'. Shikamaru faltered and the stack fell. He uttered a curse and bent to pick the papers up. The tension in the air was tangible.

"Where is it?" Tsunade asked calmly, though she could tell from her rigid posture that she was strung tight with anticipation.

"Northwest Amegakure, where the Earth country begins," she replied. "I also learned that the Akatsuki are no longer after Naruto. Do I get a prize?"

"Yes, you get to escort Jiraiya home," Tsunade said.

She growled but couldn't help smiling. Her mentor was proud and that's all she wanted. It's why she took on interrogating Itachi in the first place; she wanted the Hokage to be proud of her. She wanted her to see all she had accomplished.

"I asked him if he knew how many Akatsuki there were, but he said he didn't," she replied.

"That's okay," she said, a small smile gracing her lips. "Call in the Niju Shotai. I have a mission for them."

-0-

**(A/N) Oh my God, I have such a headache. My damn phone keeps ringing and I'm just about ready to rip it out of the wall. Not only that, my pets have been so annoying! They've been in and out all day, and if I don't let the dog in, he barks. If I don't let the cat out, she claws at the porch door. It's so frustrating! I know, I'm petty and people have it worse, but c'mon. I need a little sympathy. I have to watch In Living Color videos to cheer me up.**

**It's getting harder to come up with the chapter titles and quotes since there are so many themes being incorporated into the chapters. This time I chose a very suiting quote. I think it describes the path a shinobi takes very well.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I tried to make the fight as good as I can. Trust me, I went back and edited it many times. I tried to be creative with it. I don't know if you can use the water prison technique on yourself, but I made it so that Tsunade could create a clone. I wrote the battle scene while listening to Aquarius by Within Temptation and Fade to Black by Metallica. Also, I wanted to get this chapter up sooner, but I had to edit **_**a lot **_**and I was sidetracked by life. **

**I should probably thank my friend, Alex, for occupying my other friends (much to his displeasure) while I was typing up this long chapter. Then there's Sue for tolerating me and my mood swings. And everyone else who had to endure me as I poured myself over this fan fiction.**

**Anyway, your review prize is a tennis racket because that's what I'm going to playing this summer! You don't have to use it for tennis, though; you can use it to beat someone (coughHidancouh).**

**Hidan: What was that?**

**Nothing…**


	9. Beware

**(A/N) Sorry for another long wait. I took a surprise vacation (meaning I was forced into it). I know what you're thinking. Forced into going on a vacation? I knew there were going to be a bunch of screaming children so I didn't want to go. I went to Wildwood (unfortunately, not for Beach Blast) and I didn't have much fun. What with helping to babysit and not being able to go swimming (my bloody friend paid a visit). And then I had to go to an early birthday party for my mother (which I completely forgot). Then I found out my uncle died, and it was like a blow to the stomach. And as if things couldn't get worse, my computer was malfunctioning. I couldn't go on the internet (it's like déjà vu). I must warn you that updates won't be coming quickly for the next few weeks. I have more vacations coming up (one of them forced). I also have to go to Hell…I mean tennis practice. Is summer supposed to be so hectic?**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, emphasis, flashbacks.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Naruto, so stop making me do this.**

**Mikadzuki**

**Beware**

_Do you like the way the water tastes?  
(Like gunfire.)  
You knew but it was never safe.  
Take one more 'cause it's coming round.  
Round the water…_

Beware the water.  
Beware the water.

-0-

12:00 am

The Hokage's office was dark and silent, but that didn't mean no one was there. Two night guards were stationed outside the door and three were inside. To the intruder, it seemed lax. Sakura slipped in through the window, her chakra cloaked. After forming a few hand signs feathers rained from the ceiling, causing the guards to fall into a deep slumber. Walking over to the Hokage's desk, she saw the seals on the drawers and groaned.

_'I should have realized there would be some form of security,' _she thought.

Knowing it was useless, she pulled on the handle. Surprisingly, the drawer jerked open.

_'Tsunade-shishou must have left it open.'_

Sakura browsed through the rather unorganized files, and after skimming all of them, she closed it. She opened the next one with the same ease as the first one and searched through it. Smiling exultantly, she pulled out a file labeled 'Akatsuki' and closed the drawer. The medic sat down at the desk and opened the small folder, skimming its contents. When her eyes fell upon a section labeled 'noted locations' there was only two words.

"Gin shrine," she whispered to herself.

_'That's near Amegakure,' _she thought. _'Maybe it's the head of operations for Akatsuki.'_

"What was that?" a voice asked outside the door.

The intruder quickly stood up and opened the drawer, meticulously placing the folder back where she found it. She dispelled the jutsu and jumped out of the window as the guards opened the door.

"W-what happened?" one of the half-asleep sentries asked.

"You fell asleep during duty, that's what," the other guard said gruffly. "I'll make sure the Hokage hears about this."

-0-

3:00 am

It was raining as Sakura reached the border of Konoha. The anxiety she felt surfaced in the form of a stiff back and shaking hands. The liquid pellets falling around her weren't making things any easier. Everything about this was wrong.

_'But,' _she reminded herself,_' it's to help Konoha.' _

Sakura had told the guards stationed at the village's gates that she was going on an urgent mission and showed them papers she had forged. She traveled as fast as she could, not caring that her legs were feeling heavy and her head was throbbing. The woman had reached Konoha's border in record time and now she had to find Gin shrine.

It was fairly simple for the shrine was titanic, and towered above the trees. The one thing that made it easily identifiable, though, was that it was made entirely of silver. Even though she didn't know much of its history, she knew it was believed to keep evil spirits away. She walked into the structure after lighting a torch and coughed as the thick smell of dust reached her lungs. Cobwebs stretched themselves across the ceiling. Pushing them aside, Sakura continued to walk through the building with the haunting thought that each step could land her at death's door. Her foot hit something as she moved through another cloud of grime and sent it rolling across the floor. She looked down and saw a skull grinning up at her with its eternal smile.

Before Sakura could step away from the bones, she felt something cool press against her neck. As it dug into her skin, she felt a stream of blood trickle down her neck.

"What's your name?" a voice asked against her ear.

It was male as far as she could tell and there was an edge to it, as if the person had swallowed nails. She had the overwhelming urge to turn around and see who it was, but if she did, the blade would slice through her throat.

"S-sakura Haruno," she breathed.

This could be the end. There was a blade against her neck and any slight movement will end her life. She was at the complete mercy of this man.

"What do you want?" came the next question.

"Information on the Akatsuki."

She felt the pressure on her neck from the blade being removed and let out her held breath. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't dead.

"What do you need to know?" the man asked.

She didn't turn around to face him. She was too terrified of what she might find. So, she stood as still as humanly possible, clutching her hands to her chest.

"I need to know how many Akatsuki members there are, their names, and their goals," she said as if it was a rehearsed oration, hoping he didn't hear her voice quiver.

"There are none," was all he said.

"But how could the Akatsuki operate without any members?" she asked, puzzled.

"It can't," the man said. "And it doesn't."

He paused and she waited for him to continue.

"The Akatsuki has been destroyed."

Sakura felt as if her breath had been knocked from her-for one vague, hysteric moment she wondered if the man had punched her in the gut. _The Akatsuki was destroyed?_

"B-but…that's impossible!" She tried to reason. "Two Akatsuki attacked me only a couple weeks ago!"

She wasn't willing to accept that all of those days in that cell meant nothing.

"They were Sasori and Deidara. I sent them to retrieve Itachi. After they returned, Akatsuki was destroyed."

"How do you even know this?"

She heard his feet hit the dusty floor as he walked to another part of the room. He was stalling.

"I was the leader."

She didn't think she could handle any more of this. The girl felt her knees begin to shake and it was all she could do to not fall to the ground. She was talking to the leader of the Akatsuki; the one who had caused so much trouble for the village, the one who was after Naruto.

"W-who…who destroyed it?" she stammered.

She couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

"Madara Uchiha," the leader responded with as much venom as possible.

"But he's dead," she said shakily.

Sakura knew that man helped build Konoha and created the Uchiha clan. There was no way he could still be alive.

"If he's dead, how did he and Itachi burn my base to the ground?"

She bristled at the name.

"But Itachi was incarcerated before the Akatsuki was destroyed," Sakura argued.

"Before he was captured by Konoha, he acted as a double agent," he countered.

The medic was all out of questions. Even if she did have any, she wouldn't be able to put them in words. There was a silence as she mulled over the information he had given her.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" she finally asked.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said, mostly to himself. "My organization has been destroyed and I'm nothing. The least you can do in return is kill Madara and Itachi."

"Can't you do it yourself?" she asked, not fully believing he had asked her that. "If you were the leader of the Akatsuki, you must be powerful."

A hollow laugh escaped his mouth. "I already tried to."

He stepped forward into her torchlight and she gasped. There were holes where his eyes should be.

"Madara gouged my eyes," he continued. "All of my power lied within them."

If he could do that to the leader of Akatsuki, she couldn't imagine what he could do to her. There was no way she was capable of killing the Madara Uchiha or Itachi.

"Thank you for the information," she said. "I…wish you well."

Never did she imagine she would be saying that to the leader of the Akatsuki. Turning her back, she walked out of the shrine and into dawn's light.

-0-

6:00 am

"Tsunade-shishou!"

The Hokage jerked awake, knocking a few bottles off of her desk in the process. Shikamaru gave a loud sigh to indicate his displeasure and bent over to pick them up.

"What is it, Sakura?" she growled.

The medic walked up to her desk with disheveled hair and a frenzied look. Her eyes were wide, as if she had just watched something rather unpleasant.

"The Akatsuki has been destroyed!" she said, bordering on a shout.

"What?" Tsunade asked, not fully grasping the idea.

Sakura almost groaned in exasperation. She had come back to the village as fast as she could and thankfully, the Hokage was seated at her desk. She couldn't tell her that she went through secret files and left the village in order to seek out information on the Akatsuki.

"I met the leader of the Akatsuki-"

"Who?!" Tsunade interrupted, her voice harsh with displeasure.

"It doesn't matter," she said hastily, annoyed at her teacher. "He said that Madara and Itachi destroyed the Akatsuki."

"Madara Uchiha?" the Hokage asked incredulously. "He's been long since dead."

Her mentor's skepticism was becoming frustrating.

"Well, he's clearly not if he destroyed the Akatsuki!"

Sakura waited for Tsunade's next vocal disparagement.

"You said he was the leader. How can you trust what he says?"

"Why would he lie?" she asked. "Remember what I wrote in my report about the burnt land? That most likely was the Akatsuki base of operations."

"How can you know for sure?" Tsunade asked.

"You sent the Niju Shotai to Amegakure in search of the base, right?" Sakura asked, and at her nod, continued. "Well, when they come back, we'll know for sure."

-0-

6:15 am

Sakura walked into the cell, apprehension strung tight through every muscle in her body. She could feel Itachi's eyes on her, watching her every movement like a predator watches its prey. She matched his gaze with equal intensity, walking right up to where he sat.

"I went to the Gin shrine and spoke with the leader of the Akatsuki," she said, her voice intentionally cool.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. _'He must have told her,' _he thought. It was easier to make her believe he was still a part of the Akatsuki. Information on it was the entire reason she came, and he needed to keep her there. So, he acted as if he was loyal to the organization he helped destroy.

"What did he say?" he inquired.

"Don't act like you don't know," she said. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what? You're becoming a very bad interrogator, Miss Haruno."

She growled inwardly, realizing he was going to milk this out. They both knew the truth, so why continue to play games?

"Why did you help destroy the Akatsuki?"

The coarse sound of Itachi breaking through the manacles reverberated through the tiny room. He stood up, his eyes glinting in the torchlight, dangerous and merciless.

"I was ordered to," he answered.

"By Madara?" she inquired, resisting the urge to step back.

"You're forgetting our deal, Sakura," he said, her name coming from his lips as a threat. "It's my question."

Itachi was barely a centimeter away, trying to intimidate her. But she was irate and even though there was a hint of fear, above all, there was the feeling of being betrayed. She realized she unconsciously trusted him and his words. She was foolish and resented herself for it.

"What will you do now?" Itachi asked.

His voice snapped her out of her reverie, forcing her to acknowledge the reality that was standing before her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, piqued.

"Are you finished interrogating me? You know that the Akatsuki has been destroyed. There's no reason stay here."

She lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. Something wasn't right; she could feel it in the way he looked at her. Stepping up to him, she made sure her eyes were as threatening as his.

"No," she answered. "There's something more, and I'm going to find out what it is. Now tell me, did Madara order you?"

Her voice was harsh and she knew she was crossing several lines at once. But she was beyond caring about lines. Limits and restrictions were of no concern. She wanted answers, even if it meant losing her life.

"Yes," he replied. "What does it matter?"

"It matters because I want to know what the Hell is going on," she said.

The tension took on a quality of its own. They were both on equal ground now, knowing that everything was laying out on the figurative table.

"Do you expect me to tell you everything?" Itachi finally asked.

Sakura gave a humorless laugh. "No. I'll still find out, though. I've already gotten this far."

"You act as if it's easy."

His lips dangerously close to her own and she kept her mouth's movements slight.

"How so?" she asked. She refused to be intimidated; she would not be afraid in front of him.

A small smirk graced his lips. "Not everything can be solved with answers."

She was perplexed by his response, but didn't show it. They were on equal footing, and she took advantage of that. There was no need to be threatened by him now that she knew the truth. She could not show any sign of wavering. So, to prove she wasn't about to give into his little game, she asked," Such as what?"

Itachi grabbed Sakura's wrists, pulling her impossibly close. She tried not to show her fear as her lowered his face even closer to hers.

"Such as this…"

His lips were against hers with the slightest of movements. His eyes stared into her own, challenging her to a new, deadlier game. That was all it was; a game. Everything up to this point was just a game to him, but she would win this time. With that thought, she kissed back with a passion that made the flames of Hell seem like a campfire, closing her eyes and trying to block his own from her mind. Thoughts of right no longer clouded her mind and she felt free. All she knew was his lips moving fervently against hers, his tongue converging with hers in a dangerous dance, playing a game that only they knew. They separated at the realization that neither one could win this game and neither one wanted to. He let go of her hands and she clutched his shirt as if it was the only thing anchoring her to the ground.

"Do you have an answer to that?" he asked.

"You're insane," she breathed.

However, she couldn't help but wonder if she was the insane one. After all, her anger at him dissipated when his lips met hers. She had forgotten that he was her prisoner and she was supposed to interrogate him.

"An explanation," he corrected.

"You're playing your mind games," she said resignedly, looking up into his dark eyes.

"Or perhaps you're assuming things," he said. "You come up with conclusions too quickly."

"I know that," Sakura said. She was no longer angry, only…confused. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because it will be your downfall," he whispered against her lips. "You think you know everything, but you're still ignorant of the truth."

She had to pull away from him and leave before things got worse, but she couldn't bring herself to step away from him.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked, stepping away. "I'll be back tomorrow. You can count on that much."

-0-

**(A/N) I dropped a couple of major bombshells in this chapter which is another reason why it took so long. I should explain that the quote is from Deftones' song 'Beware'. I listen to it even more than Evans Blue and I think it suits Itachi and Sakura's relationship. Mostly because she's treading dangerous waters. The song is about temptation and being powerless against something you want. You must listen to it!**

**Anyway, know there are some remaining questions such as: why was the Gin shrine in the 'noted locations'? Why did Madara destroy the Akatsuki? And many others that Sakura has to figure out. Oh, the suspense.**

**God, I have a stomachache from eating Tostitos. So, your review prize is a bag of Tostitos and salsa!**


	10. Deep Blue

**(A/N) I tried to get this up as soon as possible to make up for posting the last chapter late. But as usual, the fates are working against me. The day after I posted the last chapter, I find out my friend Haja Koroma died. It's rather tragic since she was only fourteen and she drowned when she tried to save her sister. I went to a memorial service on the twenty-fifth and it was very emotional. When I went over to hug her mom, I pretty much broke down. Her family kept on telling me to be strong, but I really don't know how. It's funny how I'm usually the strong one. I'm also pretty busy with tennis and swimming and last week I went on vacation. I brought my notebook with me, though. Too bad I got poison ivy. And when I got home I found out my dog had to be put down. My summer's so sad.**

**Tobi: Don't cry, Clyde-chan. Here's a tissue. Wait! Where'd it go?**

**Uh…Tobi. You never had a tissue in the first place. -.-;**

**This chapter is dedicated to Haja.**

**Notes:**

_**Italics: **_**Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I probably never will. Damn copyright…**

**Mikadzuki**

**Deep Blue**

_When the seasons comes and winters sleeps, I will come visit with flowers_

-0-

Sakura received the news in a scroll.

Disappointingly, the Hokage didn't deliver it herself. Shikamaru knocked on her door at six o'clock in the morning, waking her from the first peaceful slumber she had in days. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she opened the door to see a rather solemn Shikamaru. Without a word, he placed the scroll in her hand. She gave him a questioning look, but he still said nothing.

He didn't want to tell her that the words on the parchment would cause her heart to shatter.

-0-

Naruto stood atop Yondaime's head, looking over the great village of Konoha. Tsunade glared up at him, irked at the aspirant Hokage. Only he would defile the Fourth's head. True, it was only a stone facsimile, but he should still have respect for the man. _'Well,' _she thought. _'At least he's not giving him a makeover with paint…'_

"Where is the Ero-sennin?" Naruto mumbled, crossing his arms.

He expected something like this from Kakashi, but not the almighty Toad Sage. He was probably doing 'research' at the onsen. _'And he's the one who told me to meet him here.'_

"Have you been waiting for the great Master Jiraiya?!" a booming voice asked.

It was clear from his tone, though, that he didn't care; the sennin only wanted to hear his own voice. Naruto turned to grin at him, even though most people would punch the 'great Jiraiya' for being so late and then acting like a buffoon. But, Naruto was used to Jiraiya's antics.

"Jiraiya, get off of your sensei's head!" Tsunade shouted.

"Come up here and make me," he shouted back childishly, placing his hands at his ears and shaking his butt.

"Bad idea," Naruto squeaked, starting to panic.

The ground began to shake and a noise that sounded like a stampede met their ears. Earth rose from behind the Hokage as steam shot from her nostrils. _No one _taunted _the _Tsunade.

"Run!" Naruto cried.

The two of them jumped from the stone monument and began to sprint, trying to escape from the Godaime's fury.

"I thought I told you to get Sakura!" Naruto shouted. The pink-haired medic was usually the peacemaker whenever Tsunade got infuriated. Either that or she distracted the Hokage by challenging her to a fight.

Jiraiya didn't respond until they reached a safe place. Said safe place was an adult entertainment store; Tsunade would never want to come in there. They fell to the floor, much to the clerk's displeasure.

"Now…isn't…a…good…time…for…her," the sennin panted.

"Why?" Naruto asked, equally exhausted.

"You mean, you haven't heard?" Jiraiya asked bemusedly.

Naruto shook his head. The man seated across from him sighed. He seemed somber, which was unbefitting of him.

"Ino Yamanaka was killed."

Naruto waited for the words to sink in. He tried to assimilate like a sponge, but he still didn't seem to comprehend it.

"W-what?" he asked.

Jiraiya sighed again and stood. "She was killed on a mission. As she crossed the border heading to Suna, she was attacked by missing-nin."

It was then he got what his master was trying to convey to him.

"I'm sorry," the old man offered as condolence.

How was he supposed to respond? What could he say that would express what he was feeling at that moment? Nothing could, so he remained silent. He slowly digested the fact of what happened. A friend of his was gone. She was no more, only a fragment of his memories. He stood up, and walked out of the store, not concerned with the fact the Hokage was after his head. He began the long trek to Sakura's house for he knew she was the one he needed to see.

-0-

"How did she take the news?" Tsunade asked. She had given up on her chase, and resumed her seat in the office.

The glow of the rising sun permeated the window of the Hokage's office, wanting to illuminate Konoha in the midst of such sad events. However, its efforts were in vain, and an ethereal darkness clouded the sky of the village that contained so many hopes and dreams, and so many secrets and fallacies. Consequently, the sun went and hid, not to come out until the next day, when hopefully, new hopes and dreams would be born.

"She would have taken it better if you were there," Shikamaru responded, a bit displeased with his leader.

She should be there for Sakura, comforting her. Instead, she was seated in her office, pretending to do paperwork. Nothing could excuse her behavior.

"I'm too busy," was her excuse.

The truth was she didn't want to be the one to give Sakura the news. It pained her to see her student hurt and knowing there was nothing she could do to make it better. The problem with loving someone is that you don't want to see them in pain and would do anything to protect them. Unfortunately, Sakura was too old to be lied to, and the Hokage was too damn soft to tell the girl herself.

_'I've become such a bad kunoichi,' _she thought, gripping her decoy of a pen till it practically splintered between her fingers. _'I'm a leader of a village, and I can't even tell one girl of her best friend's death.'_

Being a village's leader also meant consoling her subordinates in a time such as that. They've lost a valuable ninja in a time where they need all the warriors they can find. Ino was the spirit that fueled so many people, including Sakura. She was a light in darkness, a fighter, a healer, a lover, a friend. And now, she's a memory.

-0-

Sakura could hear the birds' singing and children playing and wondered why it was so. Why should the world continue normally when someone just died? At least she had enough courtesy to put her life at a stand-still for her best friend who no longer had a life; who could no longer breath, eat, or dream.

"Sakura," she heard Naruto call through her locked door. "Come out already."

Did he not hear her heart wrenching sobs? Did he not hear her world falling apart?

"You can't hide in your apartment for three days like you did when Shizune died."

It seemed Shikamaru had come back from reporting to Tsunade. Sakura didn't say anything; she couldn't speak through the tears. Tissues weren't enough to stop their onslaught; they only cleared away her face to make way for more rivulets. She could taste the saltiness in her mouth and her nose felt like it was clogged with water. In panic, she realized she may never stop crying.

"Ino…" she whimpered. "Where are you?"

She wanted to hear her voice, for she could only hang onto threads of its chiming sound in the many memories she had collected in her life. They did not comfort her, only make her cry even harder, because she realized she'd never be able to hear such a sound again. She could no longer hear her friend's playful, childish insults. She could no longer fall asleep during her spiels about the different kinds of flowers she had gathered in her shop. There would be no more training lessons by the river or girl talks over the largest bowl of popcorn they could find. No more lectures on how she should dye her prominent hair black and no more inside jokes that made them laugh like lunatics. Only memories were there, and she tried to use them to stitch the growing hole in her heart.

_"Sakura, I know interrogating Itachi is important but so are your friends!"_

She could remember Ino's hand on her cheek clearly. She knew it wasn't meant to be malicious. It was meant as a wake up call. Her bruising slap told Sakura that she should be concerned about the things happening around her. However, even after her slap, she didn't quite get it. It took her death to have reality come back full-force to her. She now knew that she could lose another loved one just as easily and she needed to honor her friends.

_'But you're a ninja,' _her warrior side chided. _'This is the way of your kind; people are killed every day. Don't think Ino is the only one. That's why we must not let people get so close. They all die in the end.'_

Why was it Ino instead of her? She had crossed Konoha's border before her. Ino didn't deserve to die. She was too young and too full of life. She _was _going to take the jonin exams the next week, and Sakura _was _going to work up the courage to speak to her and apologize.

She was too late…

-0-

Sakura looked at the urn encased by crimson roses and tried not to think about what lay inside. If she dwelled on the reason she was standing there, the tears would come anew. She had finally stopped crying after several hours, and unlocked the door Naruto and Shikamaru were pushing against. They consoled her with the customary phrases 'it's okay' and 'she's in a better place', but she knew they were only saying those things to placate her, and they felt the same way she did. Knowing this, the girl was still left with numbness inside. Ino had made up a part of her, one that kept her together, and without that part it seemed that everything else would fall away.

The hot air did nothing to help her frame of mind. However, she could see dark clouds rolling in, as if preparing for an attack. The service was to be held outside, near a precipice overlooking the sea. She could hear the crashing of waves as they collided with the rocks; two conflicting forces fighting one another. It reminded her of how she and Ino once were.

"Sakura, how have you been?"

She was shocked to see the silver haired ninja, crutches and all, standing and waving at her with his only visible eye closed. His signature mask was back on, but it probably wasn't the best idea since he needed all the air he could get.

"Kakashi, shouldn't you still be in the hospital?!" she called, running over to her past sensei. He was another part of her, and she was glad she hadn't lost him.

"You know how I hate hospitals," was his only reply. "You haven't answered the question."

Sakura sighed. "Not so good."

Why did he even ask? It was apparent just by looking at her that she hadn't been a bright ray of sunshine since she heard the news. The medic's face was red and blotchy where tears had made themselves known and she was so fragile, unlike her usual self. The girl was shaking slightly and biting her lip, as if she'd fall apart with the slightest touch. He wanted his strong, cheerful kunoichi back; the person standing before him was only a shell of that former existence.

"I heard you'll be speaking," Kakashi said in a soft voice, as if the reverberation itself would be enough to break her.

"Yes," Sakura replied with an empty tone. "Her family gave me the honor of writing the eulogy."

She did not even have the strength to speak her friend's name. How could she ever stand before all of those people and speak about her? She felt someone grab and squeeze her hand and looked into the bright blue eyes of another part of her. Naruto tried his best to smile, even though it felt misplaced on his face. Sakura squeezed his hand back, happy to have some comfort. She looked around at those who have gathered. Almost the entire village was there, including the remainder of the rookie nine. Choji was standing with his parents, trying his best to put a brave face on even though his bottom lip was quivering. Shikamaru stood with his own parents, conspicuously without his cigarette; he wasn't doing any better than Choji.

Then there were Ino's parents. They were the strongest people she knew. Her father stood tall with his chin up, but his eyes were exhausted and grief-ridden. Her mother clutched at his arm, speaking to those who came to give their condolences and commiserations. They were surrounded by flowers of various kinds, their petals bright and extravagant. However, the bouquet Sakura held in her hand was different from the ones placed around the service area.

_"Sakura, do you know what my favorite flower is?"_

_Sakura sighed. "Ino, I didn't come over to hear you talk about flowers. I thought you needed help picking out an outfit for your date with Choji."_

_Ino pouted. "We can talk about flowers while we pick out an outfit."_

_She had just turned seventeen and on her birthday Choji asked her out with much nervousness. Ino said she'd go out with him, for the simple fact that she cared about him. She wasn't sure it'd turn into anything, but she thought it'd be fun._

_"So…?" Ino asked, inclining her head._

_"Roses are your favorite flowers," Sakura huffed, having heard it one thousand times before._

_She picked out a pink, flamboyant dress from_ _Ino's closet and grimaced, quickly hanging it back up._

_"Do you know what kind of roses?" Ino asked, inspecting a blouse with a twisting, confusing pattern trailing down its side._

_"No, Ino. How about you tell me."_

_The girl grinned and walked out of her bedroom. Sakura just rolled her eyes and continued to inspect her closet. It seemed strange that she'd need any help since she was 'fashion forward' but she assumed the blond just wanted to spend some time with her. Even though at times they became exasperated with each other, they were still best friends. Actually, they were more like sisters._

_"Close your eyes!" Ino said in a sing-song voice._

_Sakura's arms fell to her side and she followed orders, waiting for whatever Ino was going to do to her. She felt her hair being tousled and something scratched against her ear._

_"You can open them now!" Ino chimed._

_She did and looked into the vanity mirror Ino held so close to her heart. In her pink hair was a deep blue flower, elegant and beautiful. It matched the one Ino had tucked behind her ear._

_"They're blue roses," Ino said, stating it eruditely as if she was a professor giving a speech. "I've finally learned how to breed them. They represent hope against unattainable love. Aren't they beautiful?"_

_Sakura inspected the flower one more time. She could see why it was Ino's favorite. It was so strikingly beautiful it seemed to belong in a fairytale book. Being the romantic she was, Ino probably also liked how it represented hope against unfeasible love._

_She nodded for no words could express how lovely the flower in her hair was._

_"I think I have an outfit that's perfect," she said, remembering the only dressy item she possessed._

_It was a dark blue gown and harmonized with the salient rose._

Sakura clutched at the bouquet of blue roses she had obtained from her friend's greenhouse. Even though they were wrapped in plastic, a thorn had sliced through and scratched her finger. She didn't mind it, though. The pain erased some of the numbness in her heart.

They all sat down and began the memorial service. Tissues were passed around, the white cloth warnings of the emotions that were about to come. Orators and loved ones stepped up to the podium that was set on a dais, telling the audience of how much this girl meant to them. Sakura tried not to listen to them, because every time they mentioned how much she cared about her friends or how great a ninja she truly was, she could feel something rise in her chest.

"May Sakura Haruno please come up to the podium," one of Ino's relatives said, standing at said podium.

Naruto gave Sakura's hand another squeeze and gestured to the rostrum. She walked up to the podium, reciting her eulogy once more in her mind. She had memorized countless jutsu; speeches were nothing. Standing there, she felt like she was on display. All eyes were turned to her, waiting for what she had to say about her closet friend.

"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who gathered today in memoriam of Ino Yamanaka," she said professionally. "But, Ino is not dead."

The group looked around at each other, eyebrows furrowed. Sakura smiled forlornly.

"Sure, her body is hollow, but her soul still lives. It thrives within our hearts and memories. She will never be dead because she will never be forgotten."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Sakura breathed in deeply.

"Ino had a special power. She could tell when you were upset, and knew what to do to make it better. That, or she would beat up the person who made you upset."

Memories flooded into her mind and overflowed her psyche. They surrounded her comfortingly, reminding her of her lost friend.

"I've known her for a long time, and watched her grow and bloom into something beyond all of our comprehension. I always looked up to her, wanted to be like her. She was something of beauty to me, and yet I didn't know she could go beyond that. In our teenage years, we never realized what was really important to us. We didn't understand what our friendship was and it turned into a rivalry."

Sakura thought of Sasuke and sighed. She realized how stupid they both were. Even though, in all of her experiences with him, she ended up caring about him, she still should have not torn apart something so wonderful for one person.

"However, we both learned that nothing should come between us. Together, we became something that gave us pride: adults. In this stage of our lives, we gained knowledge of something even greater than before. There are some things that are beyond our control. Such as our feelings for someone else…"

She looked over to Choji and smiled, earning a smile in return. They had grown closer than anyone ever predicted and became lovers.

"…Or, where our lives take us. And with her departure from this earth, we learned another thing beyond our control: death. That's why we should honor the ones we love, and not ever take them for granted. I've learned that the hard way. Ino taught me many things in her lifetime, such as what not to say on a date. But in her death, she taught me something even greater: they're not called loved ones for nothing."

Sakura stepped down from the podium, trying to avoid everyone's eyes. Respectful applause joined in with the chorus of waves crashing against the crag. Walking back to her seat, she felt the insistent tears fighting against her eyelids, wanting release from their prison. Before she sat down, she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder. Looking at the person whose body was attached to the hand, her heart clenched.

"Tsunade-shishou…" she muttered.

The woman smiled despondently and gathered the broken girl into her arms. She was astonished at the unusual display of affection, and couldn't respond immediately. In time, she was able to wrap her arms around Tsunade's waist, bury her head in her chest, and cry.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself," the Hokage murmured, resting her chin atop her student's head. "I'm such a coward."

She could feel Sakura shake her head, as if signaling that it was alright and she was forgiven.

"You had enough courage to come," she murmured lifting her head so she could be heard. "And…I thank you. I don't think I can make it without you."

_'Don't say that,' _Tsunade wanted to tell her. _'There will come a time when you'll have to make it without me. Nothing lasts forever, Sakura. As you said: we only have memories of Ino now.'_

However, Tsunade didn't want to hurt her, so she didn't say anything. The two stood, holding onto each other in attempt to soothe the other's pain. Unfortunately, there was too much on both sides and their attempts were fruitless.

The pain was too strong to go away.

-0-

Ino's mother stood at the tip of the precipice with her daughter in her hands. She took the lid of the urn off and turned the vase over. The ashes were carried into the slight wind, drifting slowly to the abyss of the ocean. The waves leapt up and devoured the vestiges greedily, taking them down as they died. The guests looked on, all containing the same emotion. As her ashes disappeared, it felt like they lost the only connection with Ino they had left. They felt as if they were letting go of the last thing that bound her to them.

The sky growled threateningly, warning everyone below that it was preparing for an assault. They looked up, noticing how dark the firmament had become as a result of the grey clouds that reigned over the sky, holding it captive. White light flashed through the dark masses, illuminating the dimness they had brought on. The assault began shortly after as the clouds released their fury upon the earth.

It was an unexpected summer shower, but a much needed one.

The rains scattered, attacking the people gathered and the waters below. The sea turned a deep, unfathomable blue. Soon enough, it would be completely black. Sakura stepped forward between Ino's parents and stared at the flowers she held in her hand. The raindrops seemed to accentuate their beauty, having mercy on the delicate roses. She lifted them up, and tossed them into the air. The bouquet plummeted quickly, the wind being no match against its mass. No waves caught the flowers as they crashed against the riotous sea that swallowed them, joining Ino's ashes.

Looking around, those that were gathered noticed the ambiance was deep blue.

-0-

**(A/N) It's creepy and sad that I had to write about Ino dying right after my friend died. But, it gave me insight into how Sakura must feel. So I mostly wrote about how I felt when my friend died. Sorry if I mad it too emo or gushy, but I remember how I felt when I lost my friend and just wrote it down. I felt as if maybe I should stop my life out of respect for the one my friend lost. I couldn't stop crying, and at the simple mention of her name, I would break down. There was a point when one of her teachers said that my friend wrote her a letter before she died saying that when she grew up she wanted to be a teacher and she inspired her and I pretty much broke down. It stormed at the funeral service, too. And after I finished writing the chapter, it started to storm. Weird.**

**I know you're all probably pissed that I killed another person off, but I did warn you it'd get more intense. However, as I said with Sasuke, I didn't just wake up one day and think 'I should kill off Ino'. There's a reason behind everything I do. As a fair warning, there will be one more major death at the least. I'm sorry I didn't include Itachi in this chapter. I felt this chapter belonged to Ino. But don't worry; he'll be back in the next chapter.**

**The quote at the beginning is from Dir en Grey's song Higeki Ha Mabuta Wo Oroshita Yasashiki Utsu. The title is very long so that's why I didn't use it as the title. Instead, I used a repeated phrase 'deep blue'. It may seem like I screwed up the grammar in the lyrics, but that's how it's written in the CD pamphlet. Right before that phrase, actually, it says 'Just realizing I'm getting used to being hurt' and I think that suits Sakura.**

**A note about the funeral: it was after the wake. I just chose not to include it because it seemed too pedantic. And another note. I had to listen to a lot of songs to get me in the mood for this chapter. They were: Strangers by Yoko Kanno, Fear by Evans Blue (don't ask me why), pretty much every song by Team Sleep, Deftones, and Katatonia. Also, Stories by Hitomi, which is an OST from CODE Geass.**

**Wow, that's a long author's note. I should win a prize. So, review for…calamine lotion!**

**Hidan: Do you really think your readers would want calamine lotion?**

**Yes. So they can squirt it in your face.**


	11. Broken

**(A/N) I'm glad my dear readers don't have any homicidal tendencies, or I'd be buried by now. Another late update, but I have good excuses! Extreme tennis lessons began and I can only describe them in one word: Hell. I went to Florida and took my handy, dandy notebook but I didn't have any time to write. We went on a nomadic adventure from Ft. Meyers, to Tampa, to Orlando, and then to West Palm (which was weird for me because Ocean City is nothing like that). Then I went to Harrisburg to visit my cousin. I'm also planning my annual Halloween party (this will be the fourth). Yeah, it's September, but I learned the hard way you have to plan early. And another thing, school's back and ready to tear me apart. I had to go on my birthday, which sucks. I went bowling with some friends to celebrate. My friend and I have the same birthday, so we wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese's but they said I was too old. Anyway, that's it about me.**

**You'll notice that this chapter's title is Eclipsed Verse 1: Our Broken Ways. I'm separating the song to make for six different chapters. **

**Notes:**

**_Italics: _Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Naruto, but we all know that.**

**Mikadzuki**

**Eclipsed Verse 1: Broken**

_We love our tragedies._

_We're both broken in our own little ways._

_We're broken, and we fit together just right._

_You know I saw the black inside your eyes._

_I saw they were eclipsed by mine…and they looked just right._

-0-

The sky was still mourning as Sakura awoke the next day. The sun was hiding, realizing that it was not worth revealing itself. Her window was fogged, but it didn't matter; there was nothing to see anyway. She was glad not to be awakened by the forceful sun, once again concealing herself in the shadows playing with her emotions as if she were a marionette. Her pillow was soaked in tears that had pasted themselves to her face and as soon as she regained her senses, a crushing weight fell down on her chest. Desperately trying not to reflect or reminisce, she hid under the covers and curled into a ball.

"Oh, no you don't," Tsunade said, ripping off the covers.

"Why are you still here?" Sakura asked, trying to find some source of warmth on her bare bed.

The Hokage had stayed the night, leaving her duties to the ever so reluctant Jiraiya. It placated her somewhat that the woman would do that for her, and warmed her during the rainy night when everything had come to the surface, causing her heart to cave in.

"I said I'd stay with you," she replied in that stern voice of hers.

And she would. Tsunade would stay with her as long as it takes. She was never one for work, anyway, and the girl meant too much to her.

"But you have to be at your office," Sakura said, secretly thankful for her company.

"Jiraiya's there."

They both knew that wasn't reassuring, but neither said it aloud.

"But he's not the Hokage," Sakura pressed, the conversation becoming more of a volley.

Tsunade shrugged and changed the subject. "You have to interrogate Itachi; you've already missed two days."

"Remember when you were against me interrogating Itachi?" Sakura asked bitterly. "Can you please revert back to that stage?"

Tsunade frowned. "I'll give you three seconds before I break the bed frame, so I suggest you get up."

Knowing not to doubt her mentor, she stood despite her body's blatant protests. Walking into the bathroom, she let her thoughts slowly come to the surface of her consciousness. She tried to focus on Itachi only and the questions she wanted to ask him, but it was not working so well because one thought stood out amongst the others: Sakura did not want to see him.

She traced her lips with her index finger, trying to capture the sensation his own gave her. She knew that she needed that feeling once again before it overwhelmed her, and it frightened her. She halted her finger's course. Itachi was the one person who she should not want to kiss. She should not feel every part of her being quiver when thinking about him and his dangerous eyes that used to unnerve her (but she had only misunderstood).

Sakura decided to take a shower, hoping that it would ease her mind. The burning water loosened her tense muscles, as if massaging her with liquid fingers. She heard knocking on the door and told Tsunade to come in. The door click open and she peaked out from behind the shower's, looking at her curiously.

"Sakura, promise me something," she said, her eyes looking into a time she was afraid to see. Sakura nodded slightly, and knew she would never forget the look in her mentor's eyes. "Don't die on me."

She wanted to say she couldn't promise her anything, and Tsunade knew that. The woman didn't want reassurance and Sakura had none to give. All she wanted was for her to know she cared, and despite her tough exterior, she needed the girl. Over the years, she had become a sort of stability: one that would confiscate sake and order papers to be signed and the job to be done. She saw so much of Shizune in her, and more than that, she saw so much of herself.

"As long as you don't, either."

-0-

The underground cell seemed cooler than usual, but Sakura didn't mind. The temperature of the room seemed insignificant to her as she sat in her insignificant chair and looked down at the insignificant floor. A trivial man watched her, his trivial eyes analytical as he sat in this trivial cage. It was all so insignificant and trivial, for a moment she wondered why she did it.

It didn't take long for Itachi to realize that something was wrong. He had become so accustomed to her mannerisms the he immediately knew the ones she displayed were not suiting of her; the way she held herself was not the way of his interrogator. Sakura was too fragile and delicate, more of a butterfly than a bull. He had only seen her like this once before, after she tortured and killed the missing-nin. He did not like her frail appearance.

"What happened?" he asked, almost nonchalantly. It was easy to hide his interest. "It unnerves me when you become listless, dear interrogator."

She was annoyed at the fact that he already knew something was amiss, but like him, she hid her annoyance. "I'll ask my question first," she said sternly.

Sakura had promised herself she would not speak of Ino. She refused to give the man a key into her mind and let him unlock the shadows that she kept behind closed doors. If she gave him any information, he would certainly use it against her.

"Why did you kiss me the other day?" she asked. The query was a distraction, for her voice was empty and lacking in interest.

Usually, she'd have an inextinguishable fire in her eyes. She'd be determined, headstrong, and most of all, pissed.

"Have you not even taken into consideration that I may be attracted to you?" Itachi humored her. He knew that it didn't matter. No at the moment, at least.

Usually, Sakura would have been shocked. However, it was insignificant to her. Everything was insignificant compared to Ino. Ironically, after her death she was the main center point of her life.

"You should answer my question," Itachi stated.

"What does it matter? It won't change anything."

"Why do you say that?" Itachi asked.

"Think of it this way, Itachi," Sakura hissed, masking the instability of her heart. "It would be like telling you about a tornado. It's pointless because there's nothing you can do to stop it."

He couldn't argue with her on that point.

"Does it matter? I never said I wanted to stop a tornado. I asked what was upsetting you."

Sakura thought it over. She knew Itachi would not act like others. He would not offer pedantic pity and sympathy. He would sit, listen, and remain quiet. Maybe that was all she needed; someone to listen to her.

"My best friend was killed," she said as calmly as possible. It seemed as though stating that overt fact would cause the unbearable weight to crash down on her again.

He had no comforting words to offer her, as she expected. The phrase 'I'm sorry' never brought the dead back and she was glad he understood that. Itachi noticed the pain in her eyes, and turned away, not wanting to see her so weak and frail. The look in her eyes made it harder for him to do what he needed to do. So instead, he did just the opposite.

Standing from his demonic chair, he walked over to the broken interrogator. She didn't bother to look at him, rapt in her own harrowing thoughts. Itachi took her shaking hand and pulled her from her seat, tangling his hand in her pink strands of hair and pulling gently on them to tilt her head to look at him.

"Do you know why the ones we love die?" He asked, drawing a finger down to her the place where her heart lay underneath layers of flesh and bone.

Sakura shook her head lackadaisically.

"Neither do I," he replied. "And we will never know in this life. So why dwell on it? Instead of wondering why the ones we love die, focus on life. The unknown is of no concern."

Sakura knew she had to practice what she preached and he was only reminding her. Her eulogy was inconsistent with what she thought, but it was only human nature. She said they could not control death, and implied that they should honor the ones they love, which is what she wanted to do. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to adhere to her own words.

"I know," she whispered feebly.

Itachi understood that, but felt that she needed reassurance. The doubts that ran through her mind emerged in her broken eyes, as if they were glass cases blocking the misgivings from freedom. His fingers strayed from her chest, to her collarbone, and up to her neck. Doing what he first planned, he kissed her. It didn't matter how she'd react -anger, passion, fear- as long as she did.

She decided to take his advice, and not dwell on the unknown. His kisses were that of understanding mixed with humanity; his kisses were the truth, and they spoke words that the human mind couldn't comprehend. Only in his kisses could she trust. The rest of him, the body pushed against hers, pressing her against the nearest wall he could find, were full of fallacies she had yet to identify. His dark mind contained even more mendacities that she didn't want to learn.

There was only one other thing she could trust in: that they were broken. With this came an understanding, a perpetual agreement, that they were only humans, nothing more and nothing less. They will fall, and they might not come back up, but only they can save themselves. They both understood that they were only human. And that was okay, because their kisses brought solace to their broken world as nothing else would.

-0-

Sakura had a target, one that would be easy to find. Not just because of his size, but because of his usual haunts: anything that involved barbeque. Itachi had been successful in stoking the spluttering flames burning eternally in her soul, and it had given her new zeal. Surprisingly, Choji wasn't in any of the barbeque grills. She decided that the last place to look would be his house, and she rapped on the door, a box of his favorite barbeque recipes inside. A lethargic ninja opened the door, his eyes half-closed and his face a splotchy red.

"I've got food," Sakura said simply.

Choji moved aside, signaling for her to come in. She placed the box on the table in his quaint kitchen. His house seemed to belong to a homemaker, not a legendary ninja. Pictures of family and friends were placed around the living room, including that of the original rookie nine and one of his beloved.

"What's with the food? You've never come to visit me before." Choji placed the container in his oversized refrigerator.

Sakura pulled a chair out from under the table and sat, folding her fingers into her lap, twirling her thumbs round and round as if playing a game, much like another member of the rookie nine.

"I figured you might want to talk," she said, a bit awkwardly.

Death is one of the most difficult subjects to speak about, especially trying to start up a conversation about it.

"I figure I do," he answered, sighing as he sat down.

They didn't speak for a while, despite acknowledging that they had to. Instead, they listened to the bustle of citizens going about their daily routine. Birds squawked too merrily and made her yearn for the freedom that they possessed. She wished she could fly like them, and not have to be sitting there, trying to think of words that won't harm his spirit.

"I understand what you're going through," Sakura eventually lied. He lost a lover, and she never has.

"You didn't seem sad after Sasuke's execution," Choji commented, calling her bluff.

"I wasn't sad, not really," she replied, sighing as she wondered how she would explain how she felt about that broken bond. "I was hurt so many times by him; I just decided to let him go. It wasn't worth the pain. I knew there was no changing him; he was one determined man. So, I accepted the inevitable. It wasn't that easy for Naruto, though."

Choji turned this over in his head. He could understand what she was saying. All she and Sasuke had was a camaraderie that he severed as if it was nothing. He broke her heart many times over, and she decided that she didn't want to pick up the pieces anymore.

"But Ino…" The name was like a fleeting butterfly. "Ino helped me realize that."

A shadow fell over Choji's eyes, and he looked away. She didn't want to see him this way. The usual boisterous and jovial shinobi was a wounded and despondent doll. _It unnerves me when you become listless, dear interrogator. _She wondered if this was the same as Itachi felt when she decided to close up into her makeshift shell.

"Choji, talk to me," she pleaded. "I want to help."

Those words seemed so cliché and pathetic, but he wanted to believe her.

"How can you help?" he asked bitterly. "You can't bring the dead back."

"No, but I can bury them," she said. At his questioning look she continued," Don't remember her death, or even the fact that she's dead." The words 'dead' and 'death' seemed sharp on her tongue, as if she shouldn't be speaking them. "Remember her life," Sakura continued. "Remember who she was."

"It's too hard to remember, because I know that's all I can do," he said. "I can only think about her."

He was right. All that was left were memories that may some day fade. Unless…

"I have an idea," Sakura stated.

Choji looked up, puzzled.

"We are going to make a memory book," she said.

"And what's that?"

Sakura stood from the table and said," We'll fill a book with pictures and memories of Ino. That way, we can create new ones, even if she isn't with us. I think I have a scrapbook at home…C'mon! Why are you looking at me like I'm insane?"

She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door. However, when she opened it, she found Shikamaru on the other side.

"Hi, we're just going to-" Sakura began, but Shikamaru cut her off.

"I'm afraid you'll have to put off whatever you are going to do," Shikamaru said. "You have an urgent interrogation."

"But-"

"_Urgent_," he said once more, this time with more emphasis.

Sakura let go of Choji's arm.

"After the interrogation," she said, and he nodded, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

After she jumped up onto the rooftop and began to sprint, Shikamaru turned to Choji.

"What was that about?" he asked, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, and blowing rings of smoke.

"Sakura and I are scrap booking," Choji replied, and nothing had ever sounded so good.

-0-

Sakura walked into the holding cell expectantly. The room was small and dark, only a tiny overhead light illuminating the dank and dust. The smell of fear fouled the already musty air and caused the tiny area to become hot. There was a scarred and bloody table set between to equally scarred and bloody chairs, one of them already occupied.

She had been briefed on the missing-nin she'd be interrogating. Ino was the one who had caught her, but unfortunately was poisoned in the process, leading her to her death. The woman had been in holding for three days, and she had the haggard look to show for it. Her name was Midori Sato and as she looked into her deep-green gaze, she seemed somehow familiar.

"You killed my sister."

Sakura balked at the statement, but did not show it. Midori's eyes were fierce and irate. Suddenly, she noticed the missing-nin's blonde hair and felt something tear inside of her.

"I watched you torture and kill her," Midori continued.

She wanted to tell her that she killed her best friend, but realized it was only a vicious circle. She killed her sister so the missing-nin killed her best friend.

Sakura kept her wits about her and asked calmly," Why didn't you interfere?"

The missing-nin hesitated, her dark eyes moved to the left for just an instant, and that was all she needed.

"Don't even try to lie to me," the interrogator said, her voice laced with malice.

Midori glowered, but didn't say anything.

"Well, your sister told me some valuable information," Sakura went on, not caring for an explanation. "She said that the missing-nin were organized. And the man I'm interrogating informed me that there is a leader. Now, I need to know who that leader is."

"Never," she hissed.

Loyalty is frustrating at times, but Sakura decided not to let it get to her. She finally found the key to interrogation. She didn't focus on the shadows running madly in her mind. Instead, she focused on Midori's dark green eyes (which were so much like her sister's). She could almost see the light fading from them and turning a listless gray.

"I don't think that you want to deny me information," Sakura advised. "Remember what happened to your sister."

She didn't want to say it, but it was the only way to get her to talk. Hopefully, she would understand that it would be easier to give the information without any form of mutilation. Luckily, this woman valued her life more than her sister had.

"His name is Madara," the woman said reproachfully.

Sakura remembered what Pein had told her about said man. His empty sockets appeared in her mind, and she tried not to reflect on the pain that man must have caused him.

"Why did Madara destroy the Akatsuki base?" she asked.

She saw the reluctance in her features, and for a moment thought she wouldn't answer.

"He felt that they were disposable," Midori replied, a sardonic tone in her voice. "The organization had fallen, so he built a new one."

"And what does he hope to achieve with this new organization?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"He wants to destroy Konoha," she said.

Sakura tried not to show her shock and ache, but she knew Midori glimpsed her weakness for she smirked.

"What is the name of this organization?"

Sakura could feel the prickling of skin and hair on her arms and the back of her neck, as if warning her of impending danger. She wanted to get out of the small room and fast so she could tell the Hokage. _It's in far more danger than you can comprehend. _Itachi had informed her of the danger before, but now it was real, tangible.

"Mikadzuki."

-0-

_Even if the sky were to fall, it would still be blue._

-0-

**(A/N) Another set of bombshells. Are things starting to click together? We now know reason for the title. And we now know more about Madara. Now we need to figure out Itachi's connection with him and Mikadzuki. Things are getting good.**

**I also warned you that updates will be coming later, and I can't promise that the next chapter will be up soon. I have many a things to do, and though I love writing this fic, I'm afraid I can only write so much a day.**

**Oh yeah, notice the quote down there. I think since all the ones at the beginning are going to be part of the song, so might as well put something at the end. I have to thank my friend, Jeremy, for that one. When I spoke to him the other day, that's the wisdom he gave me. Of course, I didn't really understand it at first. But now I get it. Just because something is fallen, doesn't mean it is different or any less beautiful.**

**Anyway, I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter and I hated writing the Itasaku part (don't worry, it's not because I don't like it). Their relationship is so complicated it's sometimes hard to put into words. So, review for textbooks. Just kidding. You get a day off from school/work!**


	12. Delineating Martyrdom

**(A/N) I'm back! And I have a headache, but that's beside the point. A lot of people were asking me what "Mikadzuki" means. It's "new moon". Nothing to do with Twilight, mind you. Anyway, I had an epiphany while working on the next three chapters and sort of switched things up. I restarted this chapter because I realized how unbearably cliché my first draft was. Ugh… It's still not the best, but whatever. I'll leave you to judge.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and forgive my absence. Cookie?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything in relation to it.**

**Mikadzuki**

**Delineating Martyrdom **

_When our lights meet, will you know me then?  
and will you want to know it?  
It feels like I've known you for so long.  
When our lights meet, will you want me then?  
and will you ever know it?  
It seems like you've know me for so long._

Sakura walked out of the room breathing heavily. They were shuddering breaths, and with each one, she restrained a tear. The fear was consuming her, assisted by its companion, reality. That woman was real, Madara was real, Itachi was real, and she wanted them to all disappear. If she hadn't approached things so lightly in the first place, maybe she wouldn't have felt so distressed.

She made her way to the Hokage's office. The medic wasn't as quick as she should be, carrying such impertinent information, but it didn't matter. Even if she ran, it wouldn't change the fact that her village has been targeted. The guard in front of the door informed her that Tsunade was in a meeting with the Kazekage. She didn't fight, as she would have any other day. She just nodded and went to the prison, knowing Itachi would irk the flame that is her spirit.

-

"Our economy will fall if we cannot send out any ninja," Homura declared.

The office had become devastatingly oppressive, as if a curse had fallen upon it. The two advisors had a way of tainting the air with depressing words; they could always find the worse outcomes of any situation. It was their job.

"Our economy will fall if our ninja are killed," Tsunade replied shrewdly.

She really wished they hadn't taken her sake. They wanted her to keep up formalities in front of the Kazekage, and seeing an alcoholic Hokage wouldn't be very good for Konoha.

Gaara agreed with the Tsunade and said," For now, we'll have to keep the borders closed. It's too much of a risk to send any shinobi out at this time…for both villages."

Gaara was the only one who was able to pass through the borders with his ninja. He was attacked, but managed to defeat his assailants with little difficulty. The leader would remain in Konoha for a while, for it was deemed too perilous to return so soon.

"It's settled then," Tsunade said complacently. "The borders are-"

"Lady Hokage!"

A group of masked ANBU burst through the door. They were obviously harried, even though their faces were hidden.

"Missing-nin are trying to destroy Konoha's barrier," one said urgently.

Tsunade stood and looked at Gaara. "I'm sorry, but it seems I have to interrupt this little rendezvous."

The Kazekage nodded in understanding. "Protect your village."

She nodded and left her office, prepared to fight side by side with her men. She knew this day would eventually come.

-

If Sakura had any doubts about what she would do, they all scurried away with the rats as she walked into the cell. She wasn't vulnerable anymore, but obstinate. _'For Ino.'_

"What's your association with the Mikadzuki?" she asked before she even sat down. The medic didn't even want to sit; she felt more powerful when towering above her adversary. "That's right, I know and I suggest you don't lie to me."

Itachi wasn't surprised by the question, but he was never surprised. He had in no way doubted her abilities as an interrogator, despite what he told her. With anyone else, there was no question that she'd be able to extract information from them. However, he wasn't just any old criminal; he was Itachi.

"You're a member, aren't you," she said. "That's why you helped destroy the Akatsuki."

Sakura smiled wryly, shaking her head. He was involved with yet another group that wanted to destroy her home and she had let herself blindly fall for him because they were alike_._ She knew it didn't mean they could trust each other. She tried her best, feigning deafness. If she didn't listen to the truth, she didn't know it (_but she acknowledged it all the same_).

"Who informed you of the Mikadzuki?"

Itachi knew of her trust; it was intentional on his part. All she needed to do was fall in his trap, and she was his. Only, he fell into it himself.

His voice was stern but indifferent, as if her response didn't matter to him. She still had to reply. "That is none of your concern," she said.

"I believe it is."

Sakura was infuriated not only by his superciliousness, but his ambiguity. His dishonesty was like the Akatsuki's cloak he once wore, veiling the truth. "The Mikadzuki want to destroy Konoha," she said. "Isn't that why you're here?"

"Answer my question."

"Why?"

She wanted to protect Midori and didn't know why; she would be executed anyway. However, there was something all of the Mikadzuki she met had in common: loyalty. She knew Midori prided herself in it, so she didn't want to tell of her own treachery. It seemed like she was crushing an already broken heart.

"Why are you protecting a missing-nin?"

Not for the first time, she wondered if he could read her mind, but logic told her he was just overly perceptive.

"Aren't you passionate about loyalty?" she asked cynically. "You helped destroy an organization you were a part of out of loyalty to one man."

"Don't speak as if you know me," Itachi stated coldly. It had been a long time since he used that tone with her; it made her feel as if she were not worth his time.

"But I do," she said, her voice shaking with fury at his arrogance," because you're just like me. You're adamantly loyal to one person. You'd give up everything for them, die for them, even."

"That's more you than me. I'd only die for Madara if…"

It was the first time she'd seen Itachi hesitate; it was a strange thing.

"If what?" she challenged.

A small smirk found its way onto his lips; he looked vulnerable with it. "If it came to that."

There was a silence that was all too common between them. She wanted it to disappear, to make it vanish, but she held no such power, and it made her feel weak. She was nothing compared to this man who felt there was no need to break a silence.

"Are you loyal to him because he's an Uchiha?" she asked.

"No," he stated, plain and simply; the truth he rarely spoke.

"Then why?" She couldn't understand where this steadfast fidelity stemmed from.

"I thought you knew me."

"Don't twist my words," she snapped, not willing to admit her misstep. Sighing, she shook her head. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

What made her think she could have him wrapped around her finger? From the very beginning, she held hope that she would be able to break him, _control _him, but she always had the feeling he was controlling her.

"You know me well."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Whenever she asked him something impertinent, he became increasingly exasperating. "You've infiltrated Konoha," she continued. "Aren't you going to do something?"

"If I wanted to, I would have done it already."

"Then why are you here, if not to annoy me?"

Itachi gazed at her quizzically. "For just that purpose."

Sakura walked over to him and bent down, using his own intimidation tactics against him. "I don't think so, Itachi. You believe you're the only illusive one, but I have my ways. How else do you think I got my information on Madara?"

She turned, but felt his hand on her wrist. She bristled, not wanting to pull her hand away, but trying to anyway.

"You don't know anything about him," was his frank statement.

"I've learned not to believe in in your words." _'They're utter fabrications, fictitious information and erroneous hope.'_

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I'm…foolishly hopeful that maybe, just once, you'd tell me what I need to know. Itachi, I'm afraid for my village. Tell me. What's going to happen to it?"

He hated it when she told him her fears and weaknesses; it made her that much more human. It made him realize that he knew her more than he wanted to.

"Nothing, if you protect it."

"That's not good enough! Protect it from what?"

She didn't need an answer. It was clear. _From them_. Tension and fear were her companions as they played with her stomach.

"Itachi…just…tell me something. Anything."

He stared at her. "You still talk too much."

Itachi pulled her down and placed his lips at her neck. She settled her unsure hands on his shoulders. His teeth pulled at her skin, sucking until it turned red and it was the strangest thing that she didn't want him to stop.

_Madara wants to destroy Konoha._

The words made her push Itachi away.

"I won't let you seduce me," she said, trying to stop her small gasps.

"Who said I'm seducing you?" he whispered into the hollow her neck.

Maybe she was just seducing herself into believing this was right; that it was justifiable to kiss a missing-nin with an unknown agenda. Maybe he just wanted her. She shook her head at the thought until she looked at his eyes. It was scary, seeing the emotion there.

Itachi didn't wait long to place his lips against hers. There was no denying it after this. They had to accept what they knew, and what they didn't want to accept. Itachi knew he wanted her (_needed her_) and knew that if he spent one more minute around her, he'd abandon all other thoughts. And for once, he let his desires take over. His hands slipped under her shirt and neither felt this was going too far.

Sakura moved away. "You're trying to avoid something."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been able to read you easier lately. I can tell there's something you're still hiding."

Sakura stood, backing away from him. He decided it was time. She deserved to know the truth. "You've asked me why I'm here many times before," he said. "I stay because I have a mission."

She looked at him suspiciously. "And this mission is…?"

There was a silence as Itachi hesitated. His new actions frightened her more than his cryptic words. Why was he hesitating so much?

"To kill you."

Sakura knew she shouldn't be surprised. He was the enemy; it was expected of him. Even as she thought this, she couldn't stop the minute jerk of her shoulders or the split-second widening of her eyes. Her heart was furiously pounding against her ribcage.

"I assumed that from beginning," she said.

"Yes," Itachi replied," but you didn't want to believe it."

Sakura looked away. "Why do you need to kill me?"  
"You are the closest connection to the Hokage. In fact, you are in consideration to be the next and are a threat to the Mikadzuki." Itachi felt that since he revealed so much, he should keep going. "Madara manipulated Ibiki by threatening the village. He wanted you to be in charge of my interrogations so it'd be easier to kill you. Ibiki of course obeyed and had you become an interrogator."

"And here he told me I had potential," Sakura said, somewhat bitterly.

"I was ordered to gain your trust," Itachi continued. "That way you wouldn't suspect anything."

"You speak as if you're not going to do it," she murmured.

She shivered a bit, knowing he was fully capable of killing her on the spot. His power was apparent, and she hated him for it.

"That's because I'm not," he replied. "I believe you can help me with something."

He was behaving strangely, and Sakura was becoming more and more distrustful. This couldn't be the Itachi she'd been interrogating; he was actually telling the truth freely and readily. She didn't know if she should offer her assistance.

"Actually, it's more or less to help you," Itachi said. "Are you willing to betray your village in order to protect it?"

She turned around, her heart trying to travel through her throat. She betrayed her village before by stealing those documents. It wouldn't hurt to do it once again. "How?"

"Release me."

Her hands curled into fists. "You're really going to help me?"

Itachi didn't answer. Instead, he said," I suspect Madara's readying his attack by now. Perhaps he's even here."

Sakura didn't turn around. "You can release yourself."

"Yes, but I can't get past the guards."

"Really?" she said bitterly. "A few guards are too much for the great Itachi?"

"You're very cynical," he replied. "I may have my strength, but I wouldn't underestimate Konoha's guards."

Another silence invaded the space between them. Itachi waited patiently; he knew this wasn't an easy decision for her. But then again, it was to protect her village. He knew she'd voluntarily sacrifice anything to save Konoha. She still didn't know if she could leave Konoha in Itachi's hands; he had betrayed it once.

Sakura felt arms wrap around her.

"You can trust me," Itachi whispered into her hair," this time."

She wanted to believe him and fall into his grasp. Deciding she had nothing else to lose, she did just that.

-

"Master Madara, I just don't understand why we are doing this so soon." The missing-nin stood atop a tree, watching his comrades fight against Konoha's ANBU. It was unbearable hot, so he stood back and waited. "What about Itachi?"

Madara stood apart from his subordinates, smirking. "Itachi betrayed me."

"How do you know?" the nuke-nin asked. His master didn't seem to be too concerned.

"Do you really think he'd take this long if he had not grown feelings for his target?"

The missing-nin snorted. "Itachi is capable of having feelings?"

Madara looked at him quizzically. "There's a lot you don't know about that man."

His men were close to destroying the barrier. All they needed was a bit more time. Then they'd be able to fulfill their duties.

-

_"I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom."- Voltaire_

-

**(A/N) Do you guys see the mushroom cloud caused by the set of bombshells I just threw on you? But don't worry, there are still more to come. And wow, Ibiki seems like a bastard. But he had to do it. I mean, he didn't even know Sakura, and it was a choice between her and Konoha. Konoha wins in his eyes. And Itachi might seem reaaalllly OOC in this chapter, but don't worry, you'll know why in future chapters. They won't come too soon, but I'll try my best to get them up.**

**My new favorite show is Lie to Me. It helps me with this fic. And now I can tell when my friends are fibbing. Review for a kitten! I just got two little Persians!**

**P.S. I'm really getting into Imogen Heap and Kate Havnevik. I listen to them while I write.**


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